The electrocortical activity of elite Rubik's cube athletes while solving the cube

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Motor Control

Background:

• Solving the Rubik's Cube (RC) swiftly requires advanced cognitive and motor skills.
• Electrocortical activity during high-level RC performance has not been previously investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine electrocortical activity during RC planning and execution.
• To correlate RC performance with cognitive tasks assessing planning, fine motor skills, spatial working memory, and visuospatial ability.

Main Methods:

• Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings were performed on 13 experienced male speed-cubers.
• Participants completed RC-related tasks, Tower of London (TOL), Judgment of Line Angle and Position-15 (JLAP), Memory Match (MEM), and Fine Motor Skills (FMS).

Main Results:

• No significant differences in EEG power spectrum were found between RC planning and execution across all frequency bands.
• Delta-band EEG power in the occipital lobe correlated with RC execution, indicating visuomotor integration.
• Performance on JLAP and TOL tasks showed significant correlations with specific EEG frequency bands in frontal, occipital, and temporal lobes, highlighting visuospatial and planning roles.

Conclusions:

• Speed-cubing involves complex neural mechanisms with distinct electrocortical signatures across brain regions.
• Findings reveal associations between specific cognitive functions (visuospatial ability, planning) and neural activity during RC-related tasks.
• Understanding these neurocognitive underpinnings can inform enhanced training for complex cognitive and motor skills.