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To investigate the ‘selfish brain hypothesis’, which suggests the brain prioritizes its own glucose needs over those of the peripheral organs such as skeletal muscle, using individual and dual-task assessments with NeuroTracker and exercise on a cycle ergometer.

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32 participants were randomly assigned to a no priority, cognitive priority (focus on NeuroTracker task), or physical priority (focus on physical task) group. NeuroTracker and a cycle ergometer were used to measure cognition and physical performance, respectively. Participants completed 5 assessments: 2 cognitive, 1 predicted VO2 max, and 1 dual task. During the dual task participants completed 3 NeuroTracker sessions, while cycling on a cycle ergometer. The cycle ergometer was modified to remove demands on balance, isolating aerobic demands.

Results revealed that the physical priority group had significantly higher cycle ergometer performance compared to the cognitive priority group. However, overall physical performance remained relatively stable throughout the physical and dual task assessments. All groups experienced improvements in their visual tracking speed scores as they progressed through the study. No evidence was found to support the selfish brain hypothesis during dual task performance, in contrast results may indicate an arousal effect from physical exercise, heightening NeuroTracker performance compared to single task performance.

To investigate the relationship between visual tracking speed (NeuroTracker) and soccer-specific performance measures.

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19 NCAA Division I soccer players completed 1 NeuroTracker core session baseline and soccer performance metrics were obtained from WyScout.

Statistical analyses showed a nonsignificant correlation between NeuroTracker score and passing accuracy, and a strong correlation found between consistency score (a sub-component measure of NeuroTracker) and passing accuracy. Specifically for attacking players there was a stronger correlation with consistency and passing accuracy. For defenders, consistency and defensive win rate had a strong correlation.

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.

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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.

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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 the role of working memory and visual attention for tracking expertise in different sports.

Two experiments were performed. In the experiment 1 (assessment-only), 31 male and female experienced athletes were divided into high-tracking and low-tracking sports, e.g. soccer vs swimming. They completed 3 assessment blocks (9 trials each) of the Jardine and Seiffert 2D MOT task, using 2, 3 and 4 targets at slow, medium and fast fixed speeds. Eye tracking behavior was recorded during the task. In experiment 2, 36 participants (similar to experiment 1) were divided into a control and active group. Pre and post training, both groups completed the same 2D MOT assessment with eye tracking, as well as 2 types of n-back working memory assessments (combined visual and auditory demands). The active group completed a training intervention of 4 NeuroTracker sessions (20 trials each), using adaptive speed adjustments, whereas the controls did not.

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In Experiment 1, analysis of eye tracking data revealed that directing gaze towards the center of the screen was a beneficial strategy for achieving higher tracking performance. High tracking sports showed superior tracking performance overall. In experiment 2, the active group experienced a large improvement in both NeuroTracker scores and working memory performance post-training, including a 35% increase WM accuracy. Training also transferred to significantly improved performance on the 2D MOT assessment. Controls showed no significant changes in pre-post assessments.

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.

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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 determine whether visuo-attentional and executive capacities measured by multiple object tracking and related cognitive tasks are associated with take-over performance in a highly automated driving simulation.

Participants completed a battery of cognitive assessments including 3D multiple object tracking (NeuroTracker), executive function measures, and additional visuo-attentional tasks. These measures were correlated with performance outcomes in a high-fidelity driving simulator requiring participants to take over control from automated driving under risk-relevant conditions.

Higher dynamic tracking performance and stronger executive functioning were associated with greater take-over success in the simulated automated driving scenarios. These findings suggest that perceptual-cognitive abilities measured by 3D-MOT paradigms relate to practical visuomotor tasks beyond sport contexts, including safety-critical driving behaviors.

To investigate playing sports influences cognitive capacities measured by NeuroTracker, as well as to see if such effects differs between young males and females.

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72 individuals aged 16 to 22 were split into 4 groups: male athletes, female athletes, male non-athletes and female non-athletes. All groups performed 15 sessions of NeuroTracker (approximately 90-mins) over 5 weeks.

All groups showed significant improvements across the NeuroTracker training. Initially, male athletes demonstrated higher performance compared to their female counterparts and non-athletes. The female athletes also maintained consistently higher scores than male non-athletes, as did male athletes over other groups. Overall, a clear cognitive advantage was associated with engaging in sports.

To investigate if perceptual-cognitive training can provide a proactive intervention to enhance cognition in older adults with memory problems.

47 healthy participants aged 60-90 with subjective memory problems were divided into active and control groups. All participants completed three robust neuropsychological assessments over a three- month period. Active participants completed these before, after and following a 7 week NeuroTracker training intervention.

The NeuroTracker trained group improved significantly on the task, with significant or major transfer to scores in memory tasks (e.g., CVLT-II: Immediate Free Recall; Short-Term Memory Recall, and Long- Term Memory Recall), working memory tasks (e.g., Digit Span Backward) and cognitive flexibility tasks (e.g., D-KEFS Verbal Fluency Category Switching and D-KEFS Verbal Fluency Letter Fluency). NeuroTracker scores also correlated to the scale of these improvements for processing speed, memory performance, and cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, some increased transfer benefits were found one month after the training intervention, potentially indicating heightened neurogenesis and promise for neuroplastic cognitive rehabilitation. The overall results suggest that this form of perceptual-cognitive training can significantly enhance cognition in a sustained way, with a relatively short training intervention.