Applying EEG to the Study of Performance Enhancement in Sports

1. Applying EEG to the Study of Performance Enhancement in Sports Tsung-Min Hung National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan

2. Outline • Basic idea of optimal mental functioning • Descriptive studies on EEG & motor performance • Interventional studies

3. Characteristics of EEG psychophysiology • Noninvasiveness • Objective • Real time measurement of behavior • High temporal resolution

4. Subjective Experience of Peak Performance • no fear of failure • no thinking of performance • total immersion in activity • narrow focus of attention • effortless performance • feeling of complete control • time/space disorientation • involuntary experience

5. Psychomotor efficiency hypothesis • A reduction in the activity of nonessential cortical regions is characteristic of skilled motor performance (Hatfield & Hillmans, 2001).

6. Precision sports • Golf • Rifle/pistol shooting • Archery • Basketball free throw • Dart throw • Bowling • Cue sports

8. Classical study • Hatfield, Landers, & Ray’s (1984) classical study on shooting: 1.Subject: 17 elite rifle shooters 2.Psychophysiological measures: 7.5 seconds of EEG alpha power prior to trigger pull 3.Findings: ↑ alpha power at the left hemisphere, right remains the same

9. Interpretation Alpha implies an idling state of the brain: Higher alpha suggests inhibition of the left brain verbal-analytical activity (e.g. Self talk) and a shift to the right brain visual- spatial activity.

10. Signs of cortical adaptation • Expert-novice comparison: • Haufler et al. (2000) found less activation for expert than the novice shooters at all site. The difference was more pronounced in the left central-parietal-temporal region.

11. Expert Novice

12. Supportive evidence 2 • Expert-novice comparison: • Hung et al (2008) found lower dimension in EEG of expert shooter than novice • EEG dimension negatively correlate with shooting performance in expert shooters

13. Supportive evidence 3 • Skilled-Novice comparison on FmΘ(Lin et al, 2009) • Elite-preelite comparison on Coherence(Deeny et al, 2003) • Learning studies(Landers et al, 1994; Kerick et al, 2004)

14. Intraindividual performance variation • Loze et al. (2001) found higher alpha at left temporal and occipital region of the brain is associated with better shooting performance • Wu et al. (2007) found lower EEG coherence between frontal midline and other associative cortex in successful basketball free throw.

16. Choke • Paralysis by analysis

17. Perturbation by stress • (Chen et al, 2005)

20. Result

21. Condition effects on Fz-T4

22. Condition effects on Fz-T3

23. Can we help athletes control their brain activity? • Yes • Neurofeedback studies • Lander et al.(1991)-Archery • Lin(2004)-Archery • Wang & Hung (2006)-Pistol shooting

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29. Conclusion • The existing evidences suggest skilled motor performance has it’s psychophysiological signature • EEG psychophysiological approach provides ways to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying the optimal mental states. • The approach also provides a way to help athletes control the mental states that leads to better performance

30. Thanks for your attentionQuestions?