Purpose: The investigation into the dynamics of external and internal attentional focus within the context of maintaining balance reveals critical insights into motor control. Numerous studies have shown that adopting an external focus significantly enhances balance performance [1]. The investigation into external and internal attention focus concerning balance and brain activity may be notably enhanced by portable neuroimaging techniques such as functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) [2]. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the area of the center of pressure (CoP) during a static balance test and the fNIRS signals over the frontal, prefrontal, and motor cortex. Methods:: 21 healthy moderately-active participants (7 F, age: 25.3 ± 4.2 years) were enrolled in the study. The participants were requested to maintain a static balance on a firm surface with their eyes closed for 30 s under two conditions (i.e., internal and external focuses). During the experiment, the brain activity was recorded through the portable fNIRS Cortivision Photon cap device delivering a montage with 35 channels and 4 short channels placed according to the 10–20 system, covering the prefrontal, frontal and motor cortices. The area of the CoP was evaluated through the Gyko device, a wearable inertial sensor system developed by Microgate. The fNIRS signals were converted into optical densities, motion artifacts were corrected, filtered (3rd order Butterworth filter, cut-off frequencies 0.001–0.4 Hz), and converted into oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) concentrations. The mean values of the changes of HbO and HHb signals were computed and the Pearson’s correlation between them and the area of the CoP was computed. A False Discovery rate correction was then applied. Results: Regarding the external focus, moderate correlations between the CoP area and the HbO and HHb variations on the prefrontal cortex (r = -0.78, p = 2.69•10-5 and r = 0.68, p = 7.37•10-5 for HbO and HHb, respectively) and motor cortex (r = -0.58, p = 0.006 and r = 0.57, p = 0.007 for HbO and HHb, respectively) were revealed. Conversely, reduced effects were assessed in response to the internal focus. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence on the relationship between the area of the CoP and brain activity during the external focus condition, demonstrating the importance of the typology of focus employed, and highlighting the role of brain control on postural adjustment. References: 1. Kim, T. el al., The Effect of Attentional Focus in Balancing Tasks: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. 2017, 12, 463–479. 2. Li, T. et al., Longtime Driving Induced Cerebral Hemodynamic Elevation and Behavior Degradation as Assessed by Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy and a Voluntary Attention Test. J. Biophotonics 2018, 11, e201800160, https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio. 201800160.
INTEGRATING FNIRS AND INERTIAL SENSING TO ASSESS ATTENTIONAL FOCUS EFFECTS ON BALANCE
D. Formenti;L. Cavaggioni;Paolo Castiglioni;G. Merati;
2026-01-01
Abstract
Purpose: The investigation into the dynamics of external and internal attentional focus within the context of maintaining balance reveals critical insights into motor control. Numerous studies have shown that adopting an external focus significantly enhances balance performance [1]. The investigation into external and internal attention focus concerning balance and brain activity may be notably enhanced by portable neuroimaging techniques such as functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) [2]. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between the area of the center of pressure (CoP) during a static balance test and the fNIRS signals over the frontal, prefrontal, and motor cortex. Methods:: 21 healthy moderately-active participants (7 F, age: 25.3 ± 4.2 years) were enrolled in the study. The participants were requested to maintain a static balance on a firm surface with their eyes closed for 30 s under two conditions (i.e., internal and external focuses). During the experiment, the brain activity was recorded through the portable fNIRS Cortivision Photon cap device delivering a montage with 35 channels and 4 short channels placed according to the 10–20 system, covering the prefrontal, frontal and motor cortices. The area of the CoP was evaluated through the Gyko device, a wearable inertial sensor system developed by Microgate. The fNIRS signals were converted into optical densities, motion artifacts were corrected, filtered (3rd order Butterworth filter, cut-off frequencies 0.001–0.4 Hz), and converted into oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HHb) concentrations. The mean values of the changes of HbO and HHb signals were computed and the Pearson’s correlation between them and the area of the CoP was computed. A False Discovery rate correction was then applied. Results: Regarding the external focus, moderate correlations between the CoP area and the HbO and HHb variations on the prefrontal cortex (r = -0.78, p = 2.69•10-5 and r = 0.68, p = 7.37•10-5 for HbO and HHb, respectively) and motor cortex (r = -0.58, p = 0.006 and r = 0.57, p = 0.007 for HbO and HHb, respectively) were revealed. Conversely, reduced effects were assessed in response to the internal focus. Conclusions: This study provides preliminary evidence on the relationship between the area of the CoP and brain activity during the external focus condition, demonstrating the importance of the typology of focus employed, and highlighting the role of brain control on postural adjustment. References: 1. Kim, T. el al., The Effect of Attentional Focus in Balancing Tasks: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis. J. Hum. Sport Exerc. 2017, 12, 463–479. 2. Li, T. et al., Longtime Driving Induced Cerebral Hemodynamic Elevation and Behavior Degradation as Assessed by Functional Near-infrared Spectroscopy and a Voluntary Attention Test. J. Biophotonics 2018, 11, e201800160, https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio. 201800160.
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