Cerebral Cortical Adaptations Associated with Visuomotor Practice

Abstract

PURPOSE: Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings were examined at the temporal (T3, T4) regions of the cerebral cortex in novice pistol shooters (N = 11) over a training period of 12-14 wk to determine changes in activation. Mean alpha power and its rate of change were hypothesized to increase in the left temporal region during aiming from early to late season as participants improved their accuracy and reduced cognitive effort. METHODS: Event-related alpha II power (ERAP; 11-13 Hz) was examined over a 5-s period preceding the trigger pull during shooting (SH) and two control conditions (resting baseline, BL; and postural simulation, PS) at early (time 1), middle (time 2), and late (time 3) practice. RESULTS: Mean levels of ERAP increased at T3 from the beginning to the end of the training period during both SH and PS, but not BL, whereas no such change in mean level of ERAP was noted at T4 during any of the three conditions. The practice-related cortical adaptation during SH covaried with an increase in shooting percentage over the season. A higher rate of increase in ERAP during the 5-s aiming period of SH relative to that at PS and BL was also observed throughout training at both T3 and T4. Exploratory analysis of global power (sites F3, Fz, F4, C3, Cz, C4, P3, Pz, and P4) revealed that ERAP increased during SH from time 1 to time 3 at all sites except Fz and Pz, whereas only one site (C4) revealed an increase during BL. CONCLUSIONS: The reduction in cortical activity is likely due to sensorimotor integration and less cognitive effort due to automaticity.

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