The Brain's Full Potential is Being Unlocked by Businesses Everywhere

To investigate the influence of dietary intake and sleep of esports athletes on cognitive performance and learning capacities measured by NeuroTracker.

119 esports athletes completed a rigorous battery of assessments over an 8-10 day period. This included a comprehensive range of 8 self-assessment surveys, a record of diet, fluid intake and urine color, continuous biometric monitoring of heartrate and sleep quality, and 20 sessions of NeuroTracker distributed over the period.

Average sleep quality was found to be in the range of moderate to severe sleep disturbance and most participants did not meet USDA guidelines for numerous key nutrients, as well as exceeding recommendations for cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat. NeuroTracker baselines improved on average by around 50% by the end of the 20 sessions (similar to elite athletes). Higher NeuroTracker performance was strongly correlated with better sleep and dietary habits, and specifically, consuming the recommended intake of protein was closely tied to increased learning rates.

To assess transfer from a NeuroTracker training intervention to near, mid-level, far transfer tasks.

84 graduate participants (av. 21 years old) were randomized to 3 trained groups and 1 passive control group. The trained groups completed either 5 or 3 standard sessions of NeuroTracker, or 5 sessions of a portable version of NeuroTracker (Microsoft Surface Pro tablet). The passive group completed only pre-post NeuroTracker baselines. All groups then completed pre-post assessments on a simplified 2D multiple object tracking task, an N-back working memory assessment, and on a video-based military driving task.

All trained groups showed significant improvements in NeuroTracker scores from 20-30 minutes of training. The passive control group also showed some modest improvements from only completing baselines. NeuroTracker training transferred to significant pre-post improvements in the 2D multiple object tracking test, but with smaller effects that improvements in NeuroTracker scores. Performance was found to be significantly better post-training for the trained groups on the working memory test, but not for the control group. No transfer effects were found for the video-based military task.

To test the theory that driving performance is strongly associated with dynamic processing of multiple objects, by evaluating if NeuroTracker measures correlate with older driving performance in simulated scenarios.

30 experienced drivers with ages ranging from 65-85 years old were tested on one session of NeuroTracker (3D-MOT), and completed up to 3 driving scenarios on the STISIM 3.0 driving simulator. 5 unexpected events were included in the scenarios to test crash risk. The correlations between NeuroTracker speed thresholds and simulator measures (crash rate, lane deviation) were then calculated.

Highly significant correlations were found between NeuroTracker thresholds and both crash rate and lane deviation in the highway driving scenarios. Lower NeuroTracker scores were strongly associated with lane deviation during highway merging, and higher NeuroTracker scores related to participants being less likely to crash across different scenarios, and to have better overall lane maintenance skills. This study adds plausibility to the idea that a multiple object tracking test such as NeuroTracker could be a candidate for inclusion in an assessment battery for older drivers.

To assess the usefulness of NeuroTracker (3D-MOT) as a cognitive enhancement tool to overcome the common challenges associated with cognitive training products.

The author conducted a comprehensive review of current literature for cognitive enhancement tools, as well as the specific literature on NeuroTracker to probe its strengths and weaknesses as a research tool. Evidence was also examined for the cognitive domains that NeuroTracker addresses.

NeuroTracker was found to have broad scientific relevant for improving a number of cognitive domains, including information processing, attention, working memory, inhibition, and executive functions. Far transfer effects were found in the following human performance domains: visual information processing in healthy adults, biological motion processing in healthy aging subjects, on-field performance in soccer players, and in attention for populations with neurodevelopmental deficits. The author concluded, that while promising peer-reviewed research exists, more investigations are needed to robustly establish the beneficial effects of this method in the context of cognitive enhancement.

To examine whether improvements in 3D-MOT performance transfer to objective in-game performance outcomes in competitive soccer players.

Youth soccer athletes completed a structured 3D-MOT training program across multiple sessions. Pre- and post-training NeuroTracker performance was measured, alongside objective game performance statistics collected during competitive play to evaluate potential transfer effects.

‍

While participants demonstrated significant improvements in 3D-MOT speed thresholds following training, no corresponding improvements were observed in match-based performance metrics. These findings suggest that gains in perceptual-cognitive tracking ability may not automatically translate to measurable in-game performance outcomes under competitive conditions.

To assess the extent to which action video game players perform better than non-gamers on cognitive functions measured by NeuroTracker and neuropsychological assessments.

‍

14 professional and 16 amateur action video game players completed a battery of 7 standardized neuropsychological assessments, a manual dexterity test, and 14 NeuroTracker sessions. Statistical analysis techniques were used to compare cognitive differences.

Analysis revealed that high performance in professional action video games players is associated with enhanced abilities in visual spatial attention, visual and auditory short-term memory, and selective and sustained attention. No significant differences between professionals and amateurs were evident on tasks evaluating executive functions, perceptual manipulation, or manual dexterity. Although both groups displayed a similar learning capacity to improve at NeuroTracker over 90-mins of training, professionals exhibited a distinct performance advantage throughout the intervention. The results overall suggest that elite action video gamers have superior attentional control.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine dipeptide (AG) and electrolyte drink (ED) on cognitive function (NeuroTracker) following endurance exercise, in order to measure the effects of rehydration effectiveness.

12 male endurance athletes performed four trials, each consisting of running on a treadmill at 70% of VO2max for 1h, then at 90% of VO2max until exhaustion. One trial consisted of no hydration, another required ingestion of only a sports electrolyte drink (ED) and two trials required ingestion of a low dose (LD) and high dose of AG (HD) added to the ED. Cognitive function was measured through NeuroTracker baselines pre and post-exercise.

Before rehydration, subjects lost on average 2.4% of their body mass. Pre-post rehydration changes showed HD to be the most effective in aiding cognitive function, and electrolyte only having questionable benefit.

To investigate how multiple object tracking abilities (NeuroTracker) may enhance strategies for maintaining spatial awareness and optimal player performance in soccer. Additionally, to examine the relationship between aerobic capacity and multiple object tracking capacity.

7 competitive female soccer players completed a 90-minute intermittent soccer performance test (iSPT) on a Curve™ non-motorized treadmill (cNMT) with monitoring of VO2max. This involved six individualized running, jogging or walking speeds, and a half-time period, to simulate demands in soccer competition. NeuroTracker baselines were completed three times during each half of the iSPT.

The fatigue associated with 90 minutes of soccer specific running negatively influenced running performance during the second half. However, increased aerobic capacity appears to be associated with an attenuation of cognitive decline during 90-minutes of soccer specific running. Results of this study indicate the importance of aerobic capacity on maintaining spatial awareness during a match.

To assess the learning capacities of elite athlete populations compared to amateur athletes and nonathlete university students on a neutral cognitive training assessment (NeuroTracker).

308 participants were assessed by completing 15 distributed NeuroTracker sessions, grouped as the following: 102 professional elite athletes (NHL, EPL and Top 14 Rugby), 173 NCAA elite non-professional athletes, and 33 non-athlete university students.

The results showed a clear distinction between level of athletic performance and corresponding fundamental mental capacities for learning a demanding abstract and dynamic scene task. Elite athletes showed significantly higher initial baselines than the other groups, along with substantially superior learning rates. The elite non-professional athletes also similarly significantly higher learning rates over the non-athletes group. For the first time this evidence suggest that a defining characteristic of elite professional athletes is their perceptual-cognitive learning prowess, associated with unusually high levels of neuroplasticity, and that NeuroTracker is a sensitive tool for objectively assessing these abilities.