Motor skill failure or flow-experience? Functional brain asymmetry and brain connectivity in elite and amateur table tennis players.

Motor skill failure or flow-experience? Functional brain asymmetry and brain connectivity in elite and amateur table tennis players.
Biol Psychol. 2015 Jan 20;
Authors: Wolf S, Brölz E, Keune PM, Wesa B, Hautzinger M, Birbaumer N, Strehl U
Abstract
Functional hemispheric asymmetry is assumed to constitute one underlying neurophysiological mechanism of flow-experience and skilled psycho-motor performance in table tennis athletes. We hypothesized that when initiating motor execution during motor imagery, elite table tennis players show higher right- than left-hemispheric temporal activity and stronger right temporal-premotor than left temporal-premotor theta coherence compared to amateurs. We additionally investigated, whether less pronounced left temporal cortical activity is associated with more world rank points and more flow-experience. To this aim, electroencephalographic data were recorded in 14 experts and 15 amateur table tennis players. Subjects watched videos of an opponent serving a ball and were instructed to imagine themselves responding with a specific table tennis stroke. Alpha asymmetry scores were calculated by subtracting left from right hemispheric 8-13Hz alpha power. 4-7Hz theta coherence was calculated between temporal (T3/T4) and premotor (Fz) cortex. Experts showed a significantly stronger shift towards lower relative left-temporal brain activity compared to amateurs and a significantly stronger right temporal-p...

Source: Biological Psychology - January 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Wolf S, Brölz E, Keune PM, Wesa B, Hautzinger M, Birbaumer N, Strehl U Tags: Biol Psychol Source Type: research