事件相關電位探討網球運動員與非運動員在動作準備能力的表現差異之神經機制

Neural correlates of tennis/non-athletes differences in temporal preparation: An event-related potential study

緒論：雖然過去的行為研究發現網球運動員有較佳的動作準備能力，然其而其神經機制仍有待探討。因此，本研究之目的為探討網球運動員與非運動員在動作準備能力表現的差異之內隱機制。本研究主要採用時間向度的非特定性動作準備歷程 (non-specific preparation) 之認知作業－變化性前時距典範 (variable foreperiod paradigm) ，並配合事件相關電位 (event-related potentials, ERPs) 研究方法探討本研究議題。方法：本研究總共招募了34位年齡介於18~26歲之年輕成人，其中有16位於現役大專網球運動員，另外18位為目前無規律運動習慣且無接受過任何網球訓練之非運動員。結果：本研究主要發現，網球運動員在時間不確定性較高的情境下，表現出較快的動作反應時間並且誘發出較大的P3波振幅。然而，在不確定性較低的情境下並沒有顯現出此效果。另一方面，本研究並沒有發現網球運動員和非運動員在CNV振幅之表現差異。結論：根據本研究的結果，網球運動員較能在時間訊息不確定的情境下展現出其認知優勢，可能不是源自於動作準備階段的歷程處理，而是動作反應階段的注意力資源招募能力。最後，建立於本研究的發現，建議未來相關研究可嘗試以縱貫式研究設計或招募不同層級，甚至是不同運動型態的運動員，以瞭解動作準備能力在網球運動中所扮演的角色為何。

Introduction：Although our previous investigation has showed superior temporal preparation in tennis players, the related neural correlates remains unclear. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying tennis/non-athlete differences in temporal preparation. This study adopted a variable foreperiod paradigm and event-related potentials (ERPs) to address this issue. Methods: This study recruited 34 young adults aged 18 to 26 years. Of these, 16 participants were members of the university tennis team, while the other 18 participants belonged to non-athletic students. Results: The findings revealed that tennis players showed faster responses along with greater P3 amplitude under the condition involving higher temporal uncertainty. However, such effects were not found for the condition involving lower temporal uncertainty. The contingent negative variance (CNV) did not reveal any group effects. Conclusions: Based on the present findings, we suggested that tennis players might be less affected by temporal uncertainty, resulting in greater task performance. However, such superior ability might be mostly attributed to attentional allocation during target processing rather than motor preparation. Future research is recommended to use a longitudinal design or recruiting players with different expertise level or other sports type, may further improve the understanding of the causal relationship between tennis training and enhanced temporal preparation.