Hemodynamic Analysis of the Prefrontal Cortex to Verify the Relationship Between Athlete Performance Level and Auditory-Spatial Working Memory: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between the performance level and working memory of athletes through behavioral response measurements and hemodynamic measurements of the prefrontal cortex.METHODS: The study included 12 higher-level athletes, 12 athletes, and 12 non-athletes. The study task was to perform auditory-spatial working memory tasks according to difficulty (1 back, 2 back). Reaction times and hemodynamic changes in the cerebral prefrontal cortex were measured using the NIRSIT instrument during task performance.RESULTS: Behavioral response measurements of the superior players showed faster reaction times in the 1-back and 2-back tasks compared to the other two groups, and the functional connectivity of the cerebral prefrontal cortex showed strong activation in the 2-back task.CONCLUSIONS: In the case of higher-level athletes, it is suggested that working memory ability and motor performance are significant, and that working memory ability can be an important variable in sports situations.