Athletic Performance

This experiment assessed the effectiveness of two interventions; mental imagery and physical training as compared to a control group, on their ability to improve visuomotor accuracy, measured by scores achieved on a visuomotor task. For mental imagery participants had to imagine throwing a dart and for physical training participants physically practised dart throwing. Measurements were recorded pre-intervention, after two weeks of training (Mid-intervention), after five weeks of training (Outcome Measure 1) and two weeks after training (Outcome Measure 2). Comparison of Mid-intervention, Outcome Measure 1 and Outcome Measure 2 with baseline showed both interventions to significantly increase performance on dart throwing compared to the Control group. Our findings show that, as well as traditional physical practise, mental imagery can effectively improve performance on a fine visuomotor task. This is an important finding highlighting possible applications of mental imagery in those with limited motor abilities to maintain or enhance motor movement.

Little research has been carried out on the common symptoms and mental disorders in Iranian elite athletes. The purpose of this study was to identify the mental health problems in Iranian elite athletes as a retrospective study at the National Olympic Academy (NOA) of Iran. The present study is a cross-sectional and retrospective descriptive study which was conducted by evaluating the athletes' psychological documents. A total of 143 athletes (male, n= 83, female, n= 60) were analyzed from the population of elite athletes (n=240) who referred to the mental training and consulting center in the NOA during the years 2007-2021. The results showed that most athletes referred to the center to improve their performance (37.8%). Anxiety (27.3%), depression (16.8%), interpersonal problems (11.2%), impulsiveness (2.8%) post-traumatic stress (PTSD) (2.8%), sleep disturbance (1.4%) were the most common mental disorders reported by athletes. In addition, surveying the relationship between demographic characteristics and mental health issues revealed a relationship between gender and mental health problems; there was no relationship between other demographic variables with mental health problems. The results of this study illuminate the spread of common mental health problems in Iranian elite athletes over the last fourteen years. Screening and diagnosing psychological problems provide a better understanding of the application of appropriate psychological interventions and improving the mental health of elite athletes. Accordingly, future research may focus on better understanding of mental health problems reported in this study and studies them in a larger population.

Background: COVID-19 transmission in team sports is common, but it's uncertain if face masks impact handball players' performance. Aim: This study investigated the effects of wearing surgical face masks during handball exercise for four weeks on athletic performance. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four adolescent handball female players and 17 trained females as the control group were selected in this study. Players were divided into two groups: the mask group (n= 17; age: 12.63±0.67 years, BMI: 20.61±1.19 kg/m2) and the unmasked group (n= 17; age: 13.45± 1.03 years, BMI: 21.08±1.46 kg/m2), who underwent 4-week training with and without face masks, respectively. Performance tests were conducted before and after the training program, which include: countermovement jump (CMJ), squat jump (SJ), 10m, 20m, and 30m sprint, medicine ball throw, and Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (Yo-YoIRT1). Results: After four weeks, both mask and unmasked groups showed significant improvements in CMJ, SJ, 10m, 20m, and 30m sprint, medicine ball throw, and Yo-YoIRT1 (P≤ 0.05). Conclusion: This study concludes that adolescent handball players can safely use face masks during physical activity without experiencing negative effects on their athletic performance.

The current study's prime objective was to assess virtual reality games' impact on the mental skills of elite athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, 228 elite athletes were randomly selected and divided into four groups of 57 controls and experiments. All subjects in the control and experimental groups received virtual reality games for 15 minutes for ten sessions; then, each group was re-examined. The control group performed a follow-up test according to the posttest after two weeks using the Ottawa mental skills assessment questionnaire (OMSAT-3), and repeated measures analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test were used to test the hypothesis (P≤0.05). The results obtained using repeated measures analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post hoc test showed that virtual reality games influenced elite athletes' mental skills in COVID. From these findings, it can be said that virtual reality games can improve the mental skills of elite athletes during COVID-19

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effect of PMS on aerobic, anaerobic, and cognitive performance in female combat athletes. Method: In this semi-experimental study with a repeated measures design, 20 female combat athletes (mean age: 24.5±2.1 years) were assessed during two phases of their menstrual cycle: the PMS phase (7-10 days before menstruation) and the non-PMS phase (days 7-14 of the cycle). Aerobic performance was measured using the Bruce treadmill test, anaerobic performance was assessed by the Wingate test, and cognitive performance was evaluated through simple and choice reaction time tests. Statistical analyses were performed using paired t-tests and Pearson correlation (p<0.05). Results: The findings showed a significant reduction in VO₂ max (6.2%), time to exhaustion, and a significant increase in maximal heart rate and Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) during the PMS phase compared to the non-PMS phase (p<0.05). Anaerobic performance also declined, with a reduction in peak power (6.2%) and mean power (7.5%), an increase in fatigue index (16.2%), and lower blood lactate levels (p<0.01). Cognitive performance deteriorated during PMS, demonstrated by increased simple (16.7%) and choice (16.6%) reaction times, more errors, and decreased accuracy (p<0.01). Furthermore, there was a significant positive correlation between PMS symptom severity and VO₂ max reduction (r=0.72), as well as between blood lactate levels and reaction time (r=0.65) (p<0.01). Conclusion: PMS negatively affects aerobic, anaerobic, and cognitive performance in female combat athletes. These findings highlight the importance of considering the menstrual cycle phases in designing training and competition schedules for female athletes to optimize performance and prevent potential declines associated with PMS.

Objective: This study investigated the synergistic effects of neurofeedback (NF) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on enhancing athletic performance and psychological resilience in elite athletes, addressing critical gaps in standardized protocols and long-term efficacy within sports neuroscience. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover design was employed with 60 national-level athletes (30 male, 30 female) stratified by sport type (endurance/skill-based). Participants underwent 10 sessions of either: (1) active NF (SMR upregulation via 64-channel EEG) + active tDCS (2mA over left DLPFC), (2) active NF + sham tDCS, (3) sham NF + active tDCS, or (4) sham NF + sham tDCS. Primary outcomes included sport-specific performance metrics (reaction time, time-to-exhaustion) and psychological resilience (CD-RISC-25), with secondary EEG measures (beta power, P300) assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and 8-week follow-up. Results: The combined NF+tDCS group demonstrated superior improvements versus sham controls: 15.2% faster reaction time (p < 0.001, d = 1.21), 12.4% increased endurance (p = 0.002), and 22.3-point higher resilience scores (p < 0.001). EEG revealed sustained beta power elevation over the left DLPFC (+2.1 dB at follow-up, p = 0.01), mediating 41% of resilience gains through reduced amygdala reactivity (HRV analysis, β = 0.64, p = 0.003). Skill-based athletes showed greater cognitive benefits, while endurance athletes exhibited stronger psychological gains, with sex-specific effects noted (females: better tDCS response; males: superior NF anxiety reduction). Conclusion: Combined NF and tDCS induces durable, sport-specific enhancements in both performance and resilience, likely through prefrontal-amygdala circuit plasticity. These findings advocate for personalized neuromodulation protocols in elite sports while highlighting the need for ethical frameworks governing neuroenhancement technologies.