title: Superior short-term learning effect of visual and sensory organisation ability when sensory information is unreliable in adolescent rhythmic gymnasts.
abstract: Rhythmic gymnasts specialise in dynamic balance under sensory conditions of numerous somatosensory, visual, and vestibular stimulations. This study investigated whether adolescent rhythmic gymnasts are superior to peers in Sensory Organisation test (SOT) performance, which quantifies the ability to maintain standing balance in six sensory conditions, and explored whether they plateaued faster during familiarisation with the SOT. Three and six sessions of SOTs were administered to 15 female rhythmic gymnasts (15.0 ± 1.8 years) and matched peers (15.1 ± 2.1 years), respectively. The gymnasts were superior to their peers in terms of fitness measures, and their performance was better in the SOT equilibrium score when visual information was unreliable. The SOT learning effects were shown in more challenging sensory conditions between Sessions 1 and 2 and were equivalent in both groups; however, over time, the gymnasts gained marginally significant better visual ability and relied less on visual sense when unreliable. In conclusion, adolescent rhythmic gymnasts have generally the same sensory organisation ability and learning rates as their peers. However, when visual information is unreliable, they have superior sensory organisation ability and learn faster to rely less on visual sense.
authors.affiliation: a School of Physical Therapy , Chung Shan Medical University , Taichung , Taiwan.|b Physical Therapy Room , Chung Shan Medical University Hospital , Taichung , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hui-Ya
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: a School of Physical Therapy , Chung Shan Medical University , Taichung , Taiwan.|b Physical Therapy Room , Chung Shan Medical University Hospital , Taichung , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hsiao-Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: c Department of Adapted Physical Education , National Taiwan Sport University , Tao-Yuan , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yan-Ying
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.affiliation: a School of Physical Therapy , Chung Shan Medical University , Taichung , Taiwan.
authors.forename: Hung-Ting
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Tsao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D010507:Periodicity; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012677:Sensation / Q000502:physiology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Adolescent; Sensory Organisation test; learning effects; rhythmic gymnasts; standing balance