Loading...
4 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
- Could tDCS Be a Potential Performance-Enhancing Tool for Acute Neurocognitive Modulation in eSports? A Perspective ReviewPublication . Machado, Sergio; Travassos, Bruno; Teixeira, Diogo; Rodrigues, Filipe; Cid, Luis; Monteiro, DiogoCompetitive sports involve physical and cognitive skills. In traditional sports, there is a greater dependence on the development and performance of both motor and cognitive skills, unlike electronic sports (eSports), which depend much more on neurocognitive skills for success. However, little is known about neurocognitive functions and effective strategies designed to develop and optimize neurocognitive performance in eSports athletes. One such strategy is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), characterized as a weak electric current applied on the scalp to induce prolonged changes in cortical excitability. Therefore, our objective is to propose anodal (a)-tDCS as a performance-enhancing tool for neurocognitive functions in eSports. In this manuscript, we discussed the neurocognitive processes that underlie exceptionally skilled performances in eSports and how tDCS could be used for acute modulation of these processes in eSports. Based on the results from tDCS studies in healthy people, professional athletes, and video game players, it seems that tDCS is applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as a potential performance-enhancing tool for neurocognition in eSports.
- Motivational patterns in persistent swimmers: A serial mediation analysisPublication . Teixeira, Diogo; Pelletier, Luc; Monteiro, Diogo; Rodrigues, Filipe; Moutão, João; Marinho, Daniel; Cid, LuisObjective: The main objective of the present study was to examine the associations between coach-created task-involving climate and athletes' intentions to continue practicing sport, through a serial mediation analysis that included basic psychological needs satisfaction (BPN), self-determined motivation (SDM) and enjoyment. Methods: Seven-hundred and ninety-nine elite swimmers (450 males, 349 females; aged 12-22 years, M = 16.65, SD = 2.83) participated in the present study. Groups were created according to age, years of experience, and gender. Results: Serial mediation analysis provided support for the proposed model where BPN's and enjoyment represent the most important mediators between task-involving climate and athletes' intentions to continue sport practice. Conclusion: Enjoyment stands out as the most relevant predictor of intention to persist and as a significant mediator in the relation between task-involvement climate, BPN, SDM, and long-term sports practice. The task-involving climate created by coaches appears to set in motion a sequence where the satisfaction of basic needs and SDM lead to more enjoyment and increased persistence among young athletes.
- The Co-Occurrence of Satisfaction and Frustration of Basic Psychological Needs and Its Relationship with Exercisers’ MotivationPublication . Rodrigues, Filipe; Macedo, Rita; Teixeira, Diogo; Cid, Luis; Travassos, Bruno; Neiva, Henrique; Monteiro, DiogoAlthough the relationship between both need frustration and, particularly, need satisfaction and different motivational regulations for exercise has been widely examined in the literature, little is known about the co-occurrence of both need satisfaction and need frustration in the exercise context. Grounded in self-determination theory, the present study aimed to examine the effects of both need satisfaction and frustration on motivational regulations for exercise, by applying a response surface analysis approach. In total, 477 regular exercisers aged 18–54 years participated in this study. The interaction between needs (high on both need satisfaction and frustration) displayed a positive and significant association with amotivation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic motivation. Considering the direction of the discrepancy (high vs. low levels of need satisfaction and frustration) related to the behavioral regulations, results showed that higher need satisfaction relative to need frustration was associated with more self-determined regulations of motivation. Contrarily, higher need satisfaction relative to need frustration was associated with lower scores on amotivation, external, introjected, and identified regulation. Overall, these findings extend previous literature, suggesting that need satisfaction and frustration are distinct factors that can be experienced simultaneously in individuals during exercise and that different degrees of both needs have different associations with behavioral regulations.
- Impact of victory and defeat on the perceived stress and autonomic regulation of professional eSports athletesPublication . Machado, Sergio; Sant'Ana, Leandro de Oliveira; Cid, Luis; Teixeira, Diogo; Rodrigues, Filipe; Travassos, Bruno; Monteiro, DiogoCompetitive sports involve physiological, technical and psychological skills, which influence directly on individuals’ performance. This study aims to investigate the levels of perceived stress and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) before and after matches with victory and defeat in professional eSports athletes. Our hypothesis was that the winners would have better autonomic and stress responses after match, thus corroborating the literature on neurocardiac connections. Fifty male eSport players were selected players from 10 different Brazilian teams. The experiment was carried out in 2 sessions. Firstly, after signing the informed consent form, 24 h before the game, anthropometric, physical activity levels and time of expertise data were recorded only for sample characterization and the players were familiarized with the perceived stress scale—10 (PSS-10) and the HRV measurements. Secondly, players performed the PSS-10 and HRV recording at rest by 10 min 60 and 30 min before the game (i.e., baseline time) and 10 min after the end of the game. Overall, concerning PSS-10 our findings show that VG had significant reduced scores in post-game time compared to baseline (BL) and pre-game times, while DG had significant increased scores in post-game time compared to BL and pre-game times. Regarding HRV, our results demonstrate that VG had significant increase in RR, SDNN, rMSSD, pNN50 and HF, and significant decrease in LF and LF/HF, while DG had a significant decrease in RR, SDNN, rMSSD and HF, and significant increase in LF and LF/HF. It was observed that VG had better HRV responses (greater parasympathetic activation) as well as lower levels of perceived stress, while DG had worst HRV responses (greater sympathetic activation) and higher levels of perceived stress.