title: Skill-Specific Changes in Somatosensory Nogo Potentials in Baseball Players.
abstract: Athletic training is known to induce neuroplastic alterations in specific somatosensory circuits, which are reflected by changes in somatosensory evoked potentials and event-related potentials. The aim of this study was to clarify whether specific athletic training also affects somatosensory Nogo potentials related to the inhibition of movements. The Nogo potentials were recorded at nine cortical electrode positions (Fz, Cz, Pz, F3, F4, C3, C4, P3 and P4) in 12 baseball players (baseball group) and in 12 athletes in sports, such as track and field events and swimming, that do not require response inhibition, such as batting for training or performance (sports group). The Nogo potentials and Go/Nogo reaction times (Go/Nogo RTs) were measured under a somatosensory Go/Nogo paradigm in which subjects were instructed to rapidly push a button in response to stimulus presentation. The Nogo potentials were obtained by subtracting the Go trial from the Nogo trial. The peak Nogo-N2 was significantly shorter in the baseball group than that in the sports group. In addition, the amplitude of Nogo-N2 in the frontal area was significantly larger in the baseball group than that in the sports group. There was a significant positive correlation between the latency of Nogo-N2 and Go/Nogo RT. Moreover, there were significant correlations between the Go/Nogo RT and both the amplitude of Nogo-N2 and Nogo-P3 (i.e., amplitude of the Nogo-potentials increases with shorter RT). Specific athletic training regimens may induce neuroplastic alterations in sensorimotor inhibitory processes.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.|Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Koya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashiro
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.|Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.|Department of Physical Theraphy, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Onishi
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.|Department of Physical Theraphy, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugawara
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Sho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakazawa
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.|Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimojo
authors.affiliation: Department of Liberal Arts, Kurume National College of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akatsuka
authors.affiliation: Department of HealthSciences, Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women's University, Nara City, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.|Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata City, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maruyama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001484:Baseball; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004566:Electrodes; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005073:Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity; D011930:Reaction Time; D012420:Running; D013550:Swimming; D055815:Young Adult