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To investigate the relationship with NeuroTracker baselines and soccer player performance metrics across two professional seasons.

11 professional Greek soccer players from two major Super League football clubs completed a 6-min single NeuroTracker session baseline. Soccer-specific competition performance metrics were collected using the Wyscout analytics platform, including: team is winning/losing, actions with/without a yellow card, dribbles, through passes, forward passes, and assists.

Statistical analysis revealed NeuroTracker baseline score significantly correlated to actions when team is winning/losing, total actions without a yellow card, through passes, forward passes, and assists. The researchers suggest that such baselines could play a crucial and practical role in evaluating soccer players’ performance when under the demands of professional competition.

To analyze the effectiveness of NeuroTracker training to improve sports vision and cognitive performance using a progressive single and dual-task training protocol.

37 elite water polo (13), taekwondo (12) and tennis elite athletes (12) completed 26 NeuroTracker sessions progressing from single-task training to progressively complex dual-task training. Pre and post training all athletes underwent a comprehensive battery of optometric vision assessments. Throughout the training program both athletes and their coaches completed frequent visual-analogue questionnaire assessments to assess changes in concentration, perception speed and peripheral vision performance.

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Overall NeuroTracker learning rates were high. Although scores initially dropped on progressing to more complex dual-task motor-skills, performance recovered quickly to the level expected with single-task performance. This that dual-task training methods with NeuroTracker can efficiently consolidate new skills into using a progressive overload methodology. Post-training assessments revealed a statistically significant gains in most visual abilities, including static visual acuity, stereopsis, spatial contrast sensitivity, saccadic ocular movements, and visual selective attention. Transfer to related sports performance abilities was seen with both coach and athlete questionnaire assessments, with consistently significant improvements throughout the program. Although the athletes tended to rate their performance higher than coaches, their improvement ratings were close to identical.

To examine the effects of 14-days ATP supplementation (adenosine 5′-triphosphate) on NeuroTracker visual tracking speed, reaction time, mood and cognition in a double-blind crossover study.

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22 adults were randomized to either an active PeakATP® group or a placebo control group and supplemented for 14-days. They then tested on 3 minutes of maximum intensity cycling. Pre, immediately post, and 60-minutes post, all participants completed a NeuroTracker baseline, a visuomotor reaction test (Dynavision D2), a Profile of Mood States Questionnaire and a cognition assessment (ANAM). After another 14 days of no supplementation, the active and control groups were then reversed and the whole procedure was repeated.

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NeuroTracker results improved on the second testing procedure, however average differences between active and control groups were negligible. No significant interactions were found on the other assessments, apart from reaction time performance, which improved meaningfully with post ATP supplementation. The results suggest ATP may help decrease fatigue related effects from intense bouts of exercise, but not higher-level cognitive functions.

To determine whether baseline NeuroTracker performance predicts overall season sport performance in university varsity athletes.

University varsity athletes completed baseline NeuroTracker assessments prior to their competitive season. Objective season performance statistics were collected and analyzed to evaluate potential associations between baseline perceptual-cognitive tracking ability and in-season performance outcomes.

No significant correlation was found between baseline NeuroTracker performance and overall season sport performance metrics. These findings suggest that baseline perceptual-cognitive tracking ability alone may not directly predict aggregate competitive outcomes, highlighting the multifactorial nature of sport performance.

To compare performance and muscle architecture changes in starters and nonstarters during a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women's soccer season.

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28 females (av. 20 years old) were assessed on NeuroTracker baselines, vertical jump power, repeated line drills and reaction time at preseason, midseason, and postseason. Muscle architecture changes using ultrasonography were assessed at preseason and postseason.

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Both starters and non-starters showed similar status or improvements on all assessments across the season, except for line drills performance, which showed greater improvements for starters. NeuroTracker and reaction time performance improved regardless of playtime. Results of muscle architecture analysis indicated that practice training alone provide sufficient stimulus for improving muscle quality during the competitive season. Overall starters did not display significant benefits from competition over athletes who performed training only.

To determine if variance in hydration status would be associated with cognitive performance, as assessed by NeuroTracker.

121 participants performed 15 NeuroTracker sessions across 10 days of visits to the laboratory. On the days of training, recent fluid intake, urine color (Urine color scale, UC), and body water (BIA) were documented.

Individuals with average urine color indicating good hydration performed significantly worse on NeuroTracker than those with a borderline dehydrated indicator, as based on urine color. Participants with no recent beverage consumption performed significantly better than those who had recently consumed water, tea, coffee , and milk. The researchers suggested that optimal hydration may not occur at the highest values of the urine color scale possibly due to moderate hyponatremia and hemodilution that could impact NeuroTracker performance.

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To investigate how attentionally based performance and learning is affected when audio stimuli is present in athletic populations.

Twenty USPORT level football athletes (mean age = 20.5yrs) completed in 18 sessions of NeuroTracker Training. Ten athletes completed the training in a dark room with no external noise (had noise cancelling headphones). The other ten athletes completed the training in the same room but were exposed to a consistent simulated crowd noise.

No significant differences in NeuroTracker initial baselines were found between the two groups were found. However, after the 18 training sessions, the mean NeuroTracker score for the noise group was 2.07 (SD = 0.24). In contrast the no noise group averaged significantly slower at 1.77 (SD = 0.32). Although studies show that noise can inhibit attentional processing, this study indicates that presence of the simulated crowd noise may enhance the ecological validity of NeuroTracker training for athlete populations.

To examine the transferability of perceptual-cognitive training using NeuroTracker to on-field soccer performance parameters.

22 NCAA Division I women’s soccer players (ages of 18-25) were split into trained and control groups. After baseline testing on NeuroTracker, the experimental group completed 10 NeuroTracker sessions (60-mins) over four-weeks. Game performance data, successful action, passing percentage, and short-medium range passing percentage, was collected utilizing Wyscout video analysis software during a competitive season.

NeuroTracker visual tracking speeds for the trained group significantly increased by 68% from pre-training baseline, while the control group had a 12% increase from baseline testing effects. Analysis showed no significant effects of training over the control group for on performance metrics, except for average in game passing-accuracy, which increased significantly over the control group.

3D vision (binocular stereo) develops during childhood and tends to reduce after 65 years of age. This study aimed to investigate whether these effects are significant when processing complex and dynamic motion.

Three groups of 20 subjects were recruited: children (7–12 years old), adults (18–40 years old) and older adults (≥65 years old). Each person completed 4 NeuroTracker sessions, 2 in 2D (no binocular stereo) and 2 in 3D (with binocular stereo).

As typical, adults achieved significantly higher NeuroTracker scores than children or elderly. They also gained a significantly larger advantage when performing NeuroTracker in 3D. In turn, children showed more advantage with 3D than elderly. This suggests that older populations have reduced ability to process complex and dynamic motion using stereoscopic processing. This study reveals that comparison between scores with and without stereoscopic effect, allows direct evaluation of the stereopsis advantage when performing NeuroTracker.