Journal of Sports and Motor Development and Learning

Abstract tDCS is a neuromodulatory technique that induces a low intensity direct current into brain cells that stimulates or inhibits spontaneous neural activity. In recent decades, electrical stimulation has been used as an effective method to improve balance in different individuals. The aim of this study was to investigate the improvement of postural control kinetic parameters in martial art athletes after applying tDCS. Participants were 20 male martial art athletes aged between 18 and 25. 10 subjects in the experimental group were exposed to electrical stimulation for 1-3 mA for 15-20 minutes and 10 subjects in the control group were exposed to sham tDCS. Then, both groups were evaluated by SOT postural control to exposed variables in sensory organizing test. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis test to differentiate the effect of training interventions on postural control of the two groups (P<0.05). The findings showed that tDCS had a significant effect on the postural control of male martial art athletes in 3 values of equilibrium: the exclusion of information in proprioceptive systems, the exclusion of information in proprioceptive and visual systems and the provision of incorrect visual inputs. Finally, this study showed that tDCS could improve and enhance postural control kinetic parameters in martial art athletes

Abstract  
Postural control is one of the important abilities in daily life and sport activities of human beings and the importance of focus of attention is always discussed in this issue. In this regard, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the instructions of focus of attention of supra-postural task on performance and learning of postural control in girls aged between 9 and 12. 45 female students in an elementary school in Malayer city participated in this study and were randomly divided into 3 groups: external attention, internal attention and control by drawing of lots. The participants were asked to maintain their postural control by instructions on supra-postural task. Instructions included focus of attention on the bar they held horizontally (external focus), on their hands (internal focus) and no instructions (control). The results of analysis of variance with repeated measures showed that learning process in external focus group was significant compared with the internal focus (P=0.049) and control (P=0.005) groups. However, no significant differences were found in learning between internal focus and control groups (P=0.345). It can be concluded that external attention instruction on supra-postural task led to better postural control than internal attention instruction.

Abstract   Challenge point framework is a theoretical framework to understand the effects of exercise variables in motor learning. According to this framework, contextual interference and knowledge of results (KR) feedback have a close relationship with the skill level and task difficulty. So, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of exercises based on challenge point framework on postural control in patients with multiple sclerosis. The postural control of 22 MS patients (age range 20 - 65 years) from patients of Ahvaz MS Association who were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups was measured by the force platform. Subjects in the experimental group performed exercise for 12 sessions, 3 sessions per week and 45 minutes each session. The control group did not receive any interventions. The data were analyzed by mixed analysis of variance and analysis of variance with repeated measures (P≥0.05). The findings showed that the postural control of experimental group significantly improved compared with the control group as a result of four weeks of exercise protocol. Also, postural control of the experimental group significantly developed in the posttest compared with the pretest. So this study supported challenge point framework and instructors and practitioners can use this protocol for effective clinical interventions to improve balance and postural sways in MS patients.

Abstract Postural control requires the integration of sensory information in the visual,
vestibular, and senses the body systems. Also research has shown that the sensory
systems involved in postural control, decreased with increasing age. The aim of
this study was to investigate the effects of age and manipulation of sensory
information on the postural control. For this purpose, displacement of the anterior
- posterior, middle – lateral and speed center of pressure (COP) 22 elderly (59/54
± 2/31 year) and 25 young men (23/12±3/26 year) that selected based on target
and availability from Shahid Chamran University students and staff in four
different sensory conditions including 1) open eyes an hard surface 2) eyes open
on soft surface3) eyes closed on hard surface 4) eyes closed on soft surface during
three 30-second efforts with 5 min rest intervals between efforts evaluated. After
investigating the data normality with kolmogorov smirnov and equality of variance
using the leven test, data using multivariable variance analysis and one-way
variance analysis was analyzed. Significant differences was observed between
young and elderly groups in all conditions, also removes the visual and plantar
proprioceptive information lead to increased sway in the two groups that increase
was greater in the elderly than in young group. This results indicate the
importance of visual information and plantar proprioceptive in postural control,
especially in the elderly.

Abstract The postural control system is a complex motor system which is formed based
on an interaction of different dynamic processes and many laboratory techniques
recognize performance disorders using a wide range of neurological signs and
symptoms. The present research aimed to assess the reliability of commonly used
clinical measures of balance and to investigate the effect of age, height, weight and
BMI on performing clinical balance tests. For this purpose, 133 participants (age
range 18-59 yr) who had at least 3 sessions of sport activity per week, participated
in this research. Clinical balance tests included finger-to-nose (FTN), single leg
stance (SLS), tandem stance and time-up-and-go (TUG). The results showed that
the first performance of each three trials was slower. The relationship between
some factors and these balance tests were examined. The results revealed that FTN
and TUG especially TUG test were the most stable measure to assess sports
related concussion

Abstract Postural control has an important role in daily activities and motor independence. In recent years, conscious aspects of postural control such as attention and cognitive processes have received attention for balance optimization performance. Therefore, the present study designed to examine the age–related differences in postural control in the internal and external focus of attention. For this purpose, displacement of the anterior–posterior, middle–lateral and speed of center of pressure (cop), 22 elderly subjects (mean+SD=59.95±2.12 year) and 22 young men (mean+SD=24.16±2.76 year) who were selected from Shahid Chamran University students and staff purposefully and by availability were measured in three 30–second trials in the internal focus and three 30-second trials in external focus using force platform. After the normality of data had been tested with Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and the equality of variance had been tested using the Levene test, data were analyzed using multivariable variance analysis, one–way variance analysis and MANOVA. Results showed that postural stability of both groups in external focus was more than internal focus. These results supported limited action hypotheses and conscious processes. Also, in both conditions, young group had more postural stability than the elderly. It seems that the weaker performance of the elderly in both external and internal conditions was due to the effects of aging on sensorimotor systems.