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Investigation of baseline attention, executive control, and performance variability in female varsity athletes

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Abstract

To examine attention, executive control, and performance variability in healthy varsity athletes and identify unique resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) patterns associated with measures of speed, stability, and attention. A sample of 29 female university varsity athletes completed cognitive testing using the Attention Network Test- Interactions (ANT-I) and underwent resting-state functional MRI (rsfMRI) scans. Performance was characterized by examining mean reaction time (RT), variability in performance (ISD), and attention network scores on the ANT-I. RsfMRI data were analyzed using an independent component analysis (ICA) in the frontoparietal (FPN), dorsal attention (DAN), default mode, (DMN), salience (SN), and sensorimotor (SMN) networks. Group-level analyses using the performance variables of interest were conducted. Athletes’ performance on the ANT-I revealed a main effect of orienting and executive control (ps<0.001; partial η2 = 0.68 and 0.89, respectively), with performance facilitated (i.e., faster RT) when athletes were presented with valid cues and congruent flankers. Alerting, orienting, and executive control performance were associated with differences in rsFC within the SN, DMN, and FPN, respectively. Slower RTs were associated with greater rsFC between DAN and bilateral postcentral gyri (p<.001), whereas more stable performance was associated with greater FC between the SMN and the left precuneus (p<.05). Consistent with prior studies, we observed that efficiency in alerting, orienting, and executive control aspects of attention was associated with differences in rsFC in regions associated with the SN, DMS, and FPN. In addition, we observed differential patterns of rsFC for overall speed and variability of performance.

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Funding

This work is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, York University, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, M3J 1P3, ON, Canada

    Samantha D. Roberts, Alyssia Wilson, Alma Rahimi, W. Dale Stevens & Magdalena Wojtowicz

  2. Department of Kinesiology & Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Diana Gorbet & Lauren Sergio

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  1. Samantha D. Roberts
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  2. Alyssia Wilson
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Contributions

Author contributions included conception and study design (SR, AW, MW), data collection and/or acquisition (MW, SR, AR, LS, DG, WDS), statistical analysis (SR, AW, MW), interpretation of results (MW, SR, AW, LS, DG, WDS), drafting the manuscript and/or revising critically for important intellectual content (SR, AW, MW, LS, DG, WDS, AR), and approval of final version to be published and agreement to be accountable for the integrity and accuracy of all aspects of the work (all authors).

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Correspondence to Magdalena Wojtowicz.

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This study was approved by the Human Participants Review Sub-Committee of York University’s Ethics Review Board. Participants gave written consent to complete the imaging and behavioural components of the study.

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Roberts, S.D., Wilson, A., Rahimi, A. et al. Investigation of baseline attention, executive control, and performance variability in female varsity athletes. Brain Imaging and Behavior 16, 1636–1645 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-022-00635-8

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