title: Neuroplus biofeedback improves attention, resilience, and injury prevention in elite soccer players.
abstract: Performance and injury prevention in elite soccer players are typically investigated from physical-tactical, biomechanical, and metabolic perspectives. However, executive functions, visuospatial abilities, and psychophysiological adaptability or resilience are also fundamental for efficiency and well-being in sports. Based on previous research associating autonomic flexibility with prefrontal cortical control, we designed a novel integrated autonomic biofeedback training method called Neuroplus to improve resilience, visual attention, and injury prevention. Herein, we introduce the method and provide an evaluation of 20 elite soccer players from the Italian Soccer High Division (Serie-A): 10 players trained with Neuroplus and 10 trained with a control treatment. The assessments included psychophysiological stress profiles, a visual search task, and indexes of injury prevention, which were measured pre- and posttreatment. The analysis showed a significant enhancement of physiological adaptability, recovery following stress, visual selective attention, and injury prevention that were specific to the Neuroplus group. Enhancing the interplay between autonomic and cognitive functions through biofeedback may become a key principle for obtaining excellence and well-being in sports. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence that shows improvement in visual selective attention following intense autonomic biofeedback.
authors.affiliation: AC ChievoVerona Football Club, Neuro-psychophysiology Lab, Veronello Sport Center, Verona, Italy.|Department of Psychology, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
authors.forename: Aiace
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rusciano
authors.affiliation: AC ChievoVerona Football Club, Medical Staff, Veronello Sport Center, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuliano
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Corradini
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, CNRS UMR-7290, Marseille, France.|Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Ivilin
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0642-259X
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Stoianov
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control*; D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D058765:Neurofeedback / Q000379:methods*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D012916:Soccer / Q000523:psychology*; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Attention; Biofeedback; Executive function; Heart rate variability; Resilience; Respiration; Skin conductance