Cortical and psychophysiological effects of sensory modulation on attentional switching during exercise

The present research programme sought to further understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms that underlie the effects of music on exercise. Five original experiments were conducted using a wide range of psychophysical, psychological, physiological, and psychophysiological techniques. The results of the first study indicated that music partially reallocates attention towards task-unrelated thoughts (i.e., external dissociation), suppresses the amplitude of low-frequency waves in the brain, and enhances task performance. The findings of the second study indicated that music can have a negative effect if delivered during the execution of highly-demanding cognitive-motor tasks. In such instances, the right parietal regions of the brain activate in response to the presence of auditory distractors and prevent task performance from being compromised. The third study shed new light on the neural control of working muscles and indicated that music has the potential to reduce the frequency of electrical outputs emitted to the musculature and reduce the communication between the central motor command and adjacent regions. The fourth study of this research programme was conducted in an ecologically valid environment, wherein participants walked at self-paced speeds in the presence of different auditory stimuli. The results of the fourth study indicated that music elicits more positive affective responses and up-regulates beta waves to a greater degree than no-music conditions. Finally, the fifth study of this thesis made use of functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the brain regions that activate in response to exercise and music. The results of this final study revealed that the left inferior frontal gyrus is highly active when individuals execute part-body exercises with music. The present research programme provides a neurophysiological basis for the use of music in exercise settings. The findings presented herein support the use of music as a valuable tool to explore more complex psychophysiological phenomena such as attention, affect, and fatigue.Brazilian Government (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel [CAPES]

Agency in embodied music interaction

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Routledge via the DOI in this recor

Stop Thinking! I Can't! Do Attentional Mechanisms Underlie Primary Dysfunctional Breathing?

Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Brazi

Cerebral effects of music during isometric exercise: An fMRI study.

© 2018 The Authors. A block-design experiment was conducted using fMRI to examine the brain regions that activate during the execution of an isometric handgrip exercise performed at light-to- moderate-intensity in the presence of music. Nineteen healthy adults (7 women and 12 men; Mage = 24.2, SD = 4.9 years) were exposed to an experimental condition (music [MU]) and a no-music control condition (CO) in a randomized order within a single session. Each condition lasted for 10 min and participants were required to execute 30 exercise trials (i.e., 1 trial = 10 s exercise + 10 s rest). Attention allocation, exertional responses, and affective changes were assessed immediately after each condition. The BOLD response was compared between conditions to identify the combined effects of music and exercise on neural activity. The findings indicate that music reallocated attention toward task-unrelated thoughts (d = .52) and upregulated affective arousal (d = .72) to a greater degree when compared to a no- music condition. The activity of the left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG) also increased when participants executed the motor task in the presence of music (F = 24.65), and a significant negative correlation was identified between lIFG activity and perceived exertion for MU (limb discomfort: r = -.54; overall exertion: r = -.62). The authors hypothesize that the lIFG activates in response to motor tasks that are executed in the presence of environmental sensory stimuli. Activation of this region might also moderate processing of interoceptive signals – a neurophysiological mechanism responsible for reducing exercise consciousness and ameliorating fatigue-related symptoms.Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (99999.010090/2013-04) (CAPES), Brazil

Psychological and psychophysiological effects of recuperative music post-exercise

Purpose: Few studies have examined the psychological and psychophysiological effects of recuperative music following exhaustive exercise. The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of two music conditions compared with a no-music control on psychological and psychophysiological recovery processes post-exercise. Methods: A randomized, fully counterbalanced, crossover design was used. Core affect, salivary cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured before exhaustive exercise, immediately after, and in 10-, 20-, and 30-min intervals during passive recovery (21 women and 21 men; 20.9 ± 1.7 yr) over three separate trials (slow, sedative music; fast, stimulative music; no-music control). The exercise task entailed incremental cycle ergometry performed at 75 rpm with a 22.5 W.min-1 increase in intensity at the end of each minute until exhaustion. Data were analyzed using mixed-model 3 (condition) x 4 (time) x 2 (gender) MANOVA/ANCOVA. Results: The largest decline in affective arousal between active and passive recovery phases was evident in the slow, sedative condition (ηp 2 = 0.50). Women had a more pronounced reduction in arousal than men in the slow, sedative music condition. Heart rate measures showed that fast, stimulative music inhibited the return of heart rate toward resting levels (ηp 2 = 0.06). Similarly, salivary cortisol levels tended to be lower in response to slow, sedative music (ηp 2 = 0.11). There was a main effect of condition for affective valence indicating that the slow, sedative condition elicited more positive affective responses than the control and fast, stimulative conditions (ηp 2 = 0.12). Conclusions: The present findings support the notion that slow, sedative music can expedite the recovery process immediately after strenuous exercise

Psychological and Psychophysiological Effects of Recuperative Music Postexercise

Purpose: Few studies have examined the psychological and psychophysiological effects of recuperative music after exhaustive exercise. The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of two music conditions compared with a no-music control on psychological and psychophysiological recovery processes after exercise. Methods: A randomized, fully counterbalanced, crossover design was used. Core affect, salivary cortisol, heart rate, and blood pressure were measured before exhaustive exercise, immediately after, and in 10-, 20-, and 30-min intervals during passive recovery (21 women and 21 men; 20.9 T 1.7 yr) over three separate trials (slow, sedative music; fast, stimulative music; no-music control). The exercise task entailed incremental cycle ergometry performed at 75 rpm with an increase in intensity of 22.5 WIminj1 at the end of each minute until exhaustion. Data were analyzed using mixed-model 3 (condition) 4 (time) 2 (gender) MANOVA/ANCOVA. Results: The largest decline in affective arousal between active and passive recovery phases was evident in the slow, sedative condition (Gp 2 = 0.50). Women had a more pronounced reduction in arousal than did men in the slow, sedative music condition. Heart rate measures showed that fast, stimulative music inhibited the return of heart rate toward resting levels (Gp 2 = 0.06). Similarly, salivary cortisol levels tended to be lower in response to slow, sedative music (Gp 2 = 0.11). There was a main effect of condition for affective valence indicating that the slow, sedative condition elicited more positive affective responses compared with the control and fast, stimulative conditions (Gp 2 = 0.12). Conclusions: The present findings support the notion that slow, sedative music can expedite the recovery process immediately after strenuous exercise. Key Words: AFFECT, CORTISOL, ENTRAINMENT, RECOVERY, PSYCHOBIOLOGY, SEDATIO

Brain mechanisms that underlie the effects of motivational audiovisual stimuli on psychophysiological responses during exercise

Motivational audiovisual stimuli such as music and video have been widely used in the realm of exercise and sport as a means by which to increase situational motivation and enhance performance. The present study addressed the mechanisms that underlie the effects of motivational stimuli on psychophysiological responses and exercise performance. Twenty-two participants completed fatiguing isometric handgrip-squeezing tasks under two experimental conditions (motivational audiovisual condition and neutral audiovisual condition) and a control condition. Electrical activity in the brain and working muscles was analyzed by use of electroencephalography and electromyography, respectively. Participants were asked to squeeze the dynamometer maximally for 30 s. A single-item motivation scale was administered after each squeeze. Results indicated that task performance and situational motivational were superior under the influence of motivational stimuli when compared to the other two conditions (~20% and ~25%, respectively). The motivational stimulus downregulated the predominance of low-frequency waves (theta) in the right frontal regions of the cortex (F8), and upregulated high-frequency waves (beta) in the central areas (C3 and C4). It is suggested that motivational sensory cues serve to readjust electrical activity in the brain; a mechanism by which the detrimental effects of fatigue on the efferent control of working muscles is ameliorated.This research was supported, in part, by grants from the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

An Analysis of Variability in Power Output During Indoor and Outdoor Cycling Time-Trials

PURPOSE::Regulation of power output during cycling encompasses the integration of internal and external demands to maximise performance. However, relatively little is known about variation in power output in response to the external demands of outdoor cycling. We compared mean power output and the magnitude of power output variability and structure during a 20-min time-trial performed indoors and outdoors.METHODS::Twenty male competitive cyclists (V̇O2peak 60.4 ± 7.1 mL·kg-1·min-1) performed two randomised maximal 20-min time-trial tests i) outdoors at a cycle-specific racing circuit or ii) indoors on a laboratory-based electromagnetically braked training ergometer, 7 days apart. Power output was sampled at 1 Hz and collected on the same bike equipped with a portable power meter in both tests.RESULTS::Twenty-min time-trial performance indoor (280 ± 44 W) was not different from outdoor (284 ± 41 W) (P = 0.256), showing a strong correlation (r = 0.94; P < 0.001). Within-person SD was greater outdoors (69 ± 21 W) compared to indoors (33 ± 10 W) (P < 0.001). Increased variability was observed across all frequencies in data from outdoor cycling compared to indoors (P < 0.001) except for the very slowest frequency bin (<0.0033 Hz, P = 0.930).CONCLUSIONS::Our findings indicate a greater magnitude of variability in power output during cycling outdoors. This suggests that constraints imposed by the external environment lead to moderate and high frequency fluctuations in power output. Therefore, indoor testing protocols should be designed to reflect the external demands of cycling outdoors

Effects of auditory-motor synchronization on 400-m sprint performance: An applied study

There is a conspicuous dearth of empirical research regarding the ergogenic and psychological effects of synchronous music when applied in a sports training context. The main purpose of this longitudinal intervention study was to investigate the ergogenic and psychological effects of synchronous music applied over a one-month period of speed endurance training. Twelve participants (six women and six men; 21.1 ± 1.7 years) were randomly assigned to either an experimental group (sprint training coordinated with synchronous music) or a control group (conventional sprint training). Immediately after each training session and each time trial, the Feeling Scale, CR-10 Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale, and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale were administered to each participant. No significant interaction effect of Group × Time for Rating of Perceived Exertion ( p = .898) or Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale ( p = .411) was identified during the training sessions. A significant Group × Time interaction was identified for Feeling Scale scores ( p = .007). Nonetheless, following Bonferroni adjustment for pairwise comparisons, the between-group differences in Feeling Scale scores did not reach significance. No significant interaction effect of Group × Time or main effect of group was identified for sprint performance, although the latter effect was associated with a large effect size (ηp2 = 0.35). Experimental group participants executed the 400-m time trials 5.07% faster than control group participants. This finding is noteworthy from an applied perspective, given the potential ergogenic effects associated with auditory-motor synchronization. </jats:p