Wolf Sebastian, Brölz Ellen, Keune Philipp M, Wesa Benjamin, Hautzinger Martin, Birbaumer Niels, Strehl Ute
Institute of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, University of Tuebingen, Schleichstr. 4, Tuebingen, 72076, Germany.
Department of Internal Medicine VI: Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Tuebingen, Germany.
Biol Psychol. 2015 Feb;105:95-105. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.01.007. Epub 2015 Jan 20.
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 8-13 Hz alpha power. 4-7 Hz 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-premotor coherence than amateurs. The shift towards lower relative left-temporal brain activity in experts was associated with more flow-experience and lower relative left temporal activity was correlated with more world rank points. The present findings suggest that skilled psycho-motor performance in elite table tennis players reflect less desynchronized brain activity at the left hemisphere and more coherent brain activity between fronto-temporal and premotor oscillations at the right hemisphere. This pattern probably reflect less interference of irrelevant communication of verbal-analytical with motor-control mechanisms which implies flow-experience and predict world rank in experts.
功能性半球不对称被认为是乒乓球运动员心流体验和熟练心理运动表现的一种潜在神经生理机制。我们假设，在运动想象过程中启动运动执行时，与业余选手相比，精英乒乓球运动员右半球的颞叶活动高于左半球，且右颞叶-运动前区的θ波相干性比左颞叶-运动前区更强。我们还研究了左颞叶皮质活动不那么明显是否与更多的世界排名积分和更多的心流体验相关。为此，我们记录了14名专家级和15名业余乒乓球运动员的脑电图数据。受试者观看对手发球的视频，并被要求想象自己用特定的乒乓球击球动作做出回应。通过用右半球8 - 13Hz的α波功率减去左半球的α波功率来计算α波不对称分数。计算颞叶（T3/T4）和运动前区（Fz）皮质之间4 - 7Hz的θ波相干性。与业余选手相比，专家级选手向较低相对左颞叶脑活动的偏移明显更强，且右颞叶-运动前区的相干性也明显强于业余选手。专家级选手中向较低相对左颞叶脑活动的偏移与更多的心流体验相关，而较低的相对左颞叶活动与更多的世界排名积分相关。目前的研究结果表明，精英乒乓球运动员熟练的心理运动表现反映出左半球脑活动去同步化程度较低，以及右半球额颞叶和运动前区振荡之间的脑活动连贯性更强。这种模式可能反映了言语分析与运动控制机制的无关交流干扰较少，这意味着专家级选手的心流体验，并能预测其世界排名。
