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

To compare the efficacy of NeuroTracker training for concentration and game performance to conventional training.

‍

21 university basketball athletes were divided into a NeuroTracker training group (12 sessions) or a conventional training group. The Concentration Grid Test was used to measure concentration, and FIBA-Live Stats were collected to evaluate the game statistics and athlete performance, both pre- and post-training.

NeuroTracker training resulted in 42% greater improvement in post-training Concentration Grid Test results, compared to conventional training. No substantial improvements in game performance were found with either form of training.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the effects of 4-weeks of NeuroTracker training on in-game soccer performance measures.

13 NCAA Division I soccer players were split into trained and control groups. Both groups completed a NeuroTracker baseline. The trained group then completed 10 NeuroTracker training sessions (60 minutes) over a 4-week period. Soccer performance metrics were obtained from WyScout where 2 game averages were examined to compare pre-post-NT performance.

Data analysis revealed a moderate improvement of the trained group over the control group in passing accuracy, a 8.5% increase post-training, versus a 3.5% increase. Small non-significant improvements were also observed for successful actions and short+medium passes for the NeuroTracker trained group.

‍

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 investigate the feasibility of using a remote therapeutic cognitive intervention for brain injury survivors using an at-home training program.

20 older female and male adults were assessed for cognitive health status using a self-report questionnaire and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and deemed cognitively healthy. The at-home participants were provided with NeuroTracker training and completed 20 training sessions over 5 weeks. Participant recruitment, retention, adherence, and experience were used as markers of feasibility. Individual session scores, overall improvement, and learning rates between groups was also assessed.

The remote intervention was found to have strong feasibility overall. This was supported by high recruitment and retention, 90% participant adherence, along with ease of use of the program. Differences in screen size and 3D technology showed no differences on cognitive benefits achieved from training, with significant improvements in task performance across the program, which was also equivalent to lab-based training. The researchers concluded that NeuroTracker provides a promising at-home option for cognitive training for cognitively healthy adults and brain injury survivors.

This paper covers foundational concepts of NeuroTracker’s relevance to training of cognitive capacities deemed critical in sports performance, particularly in dynamic team-sports. It also contains a study investigating the effects of attentional loads in learning paradigms, with the aim of understanding optimal load conditions for training perceptual-cognitive ability.

‍

4 elite professional sports teams trained their athletes on NeuroTracker (15-30 sessions) during their competition seasons. An English Premier Team club, a National Hockey League team, and a European Rugby team were all trained in the standard sitting down position to isolate any influence from attentional mechanisms involved in posture control. Another NHL team performed the training in standing position, involving basic balance demands on attention.

Taking the statistical average for learning progression on NeuroTracker, the three professional sports teams training in sitting position showed near identical progression, with rapid early learning slowing down towards longer term but continued learning. The standing sports team showed much lower NeuroTracker scores, but more importantly slower overall learning progression, with a large magnitude of difference to the other teams. The findings clearly demonstrate the link between balance control mechanisms and perceptual-cognitive demands solicited by NeuroTracker training. This demonstrates that cognitive training loads need to be sensitively optimized to attentional thresholds in order to generate effective short and longer term learning adaptations.

‍

‍

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 examine the influence of nutritional intake on visual perceptual-cognitive performance, measured by NeuroTracker, in young healthy adults.

‍

98 healthy men (38) and women (60) aged 18–33 years maintained their usual dietary intake while completing NeuroTracker 15 sessions of NeuroTracker over a 15-day period. Food logs and extensive lifestyle measures including body composition, cardiovascular health, sleep and exercise patterns, and general readiness to perform were collected for analysis.

Males consumed significantly more calories, macronutrients, cholesterol, choline, and zinc and performed significantly better on NeuroTracker than the females. Participants who consumed more than 40% of kcals from carbohydrates, less than 24% of kcals from protein, more than 2,000 μg/day lutein/zeaxanthin or more than 1.8 mg/ day of vitamin B2 performed significantly better on NeuroTracker than those who consumed less than those amounts. The researchers concluded that perceptual-cognitive performance is positively influenced by higher carbohydrate, lutein/ zeaxanthin, and vitamin B2 dietary intake, while high protein consumption had negative impacts.

To evaluate the impact of the nutritional impact of dietary intake of whole eggs, egg white, and egg yolk on visual cognitive performance (NeuroTracker) in healthy older adults.

‍

99 healthy men and women aged 50 to 75 years were randomly assigned to one of five groups with different daily consumption of eggs alongside a record of their usual dietary intake. Over 1-month period participants either consumed four egg whites, two whole regular eggs, two whole omega-3-fortified eggs, four egg yolks, or no eggs (control). During the final 2 weeks of the study all participants completed 15 NeuroTracker.

On average male participants performed significantly better at NeuroTracker than females. All participants on egg-based diets performed significantly better across 2-weeks of NeuroTracker training than the no-egg controls. Findings suggest that whole eggs, egg whites and egg yolks are beneficial for visual cognitive performance in healthy older adults.

To investigate of NeuroTracker baselines can be a predictor of air traffic control task performance.

46 participants completed 2 hours of assessments including a NeuroTracker baseline, the Corsi Block Tapping and Automated Operation Span tests, followed by a simulated air traffic control task.

‍

After controlling for age and video game playing, NeuroTracker baselines significantly predicted correct detections of conflicts between aircraft, fewer false alarm responses to conflicts, and faster aircraft acceptance and hand-off performance. NeuroTracker was a stronger predictor of these outcomes, than the Corsi Block Tapping and Automated Operation Span tests. The researchers concluded that the findings demonstrate that NeuroTracker and could be useful for applicant screening and selection of air traffic control personnel.