Stronger activation and deactivation in archery experts for differential cognitive strategy in visuospatial working...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Sports Science

Background:

• Elite athletes excel in sports-specific skills, but differences in basic cognitive functions compared to novices are debated.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on expert-novice cognitive differences, particularly in visuospatial working memory, are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate neural activation and deactivation differences between archery experts and novices during a visuospatial working memory task.
• To explore how expertise influences the brain's engagement of working memory and attention networks.

Main Methods:

• Employed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare brain activity between archery experts and novices.
• Utilized the Judgment of Line Orientation (JLO) task, a visuospatial task with a significant working memory component.

Main Results:

• Archery experts showed greater activation in cortical areas linked to visuospatial attention and working memory (e.g., middle frontal cortex, supplemental motor area, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex).
• Experts exhibited stronger task-related deactivation in default network regions (e.g., paracentral cortex/precuneus, cingulate cortex) compared to novices.

Conclusions:

• Archery experts employ a cognitive strategy that involves greater utilization of neural resources for visuospatial working memory and attention.
• Expertise may influence the default mode network's engagement even in tasks not directly related to the expert's domain.