INVESTIGATION OF VISUAL AND AUDITORY SIMPLE REACTION TIME OF 11-18 AGED YOUTH

The purpose of our study was to investigate visual and auditory basic reaction time differences in age groups of 11-18 youth. Totally 802 male (n = 401) and female (n = 401) sedentary children in the age groups as 11 (n = 87), 12 (n = 111), 13 (n = 100), and 14 (n = 104), 15 (n = 100), 16 (n = 100), 17 (n = 100), 18 (n = 100) voluntarily participated in this study. Computerized reaction time tests (VRT: www.humanbenchmark.com; ART: cognitivefun.net) was used for visual reaction time (VRT) and auditory reaction time (ART). Reaction time was measured five times, and the mean variable saved as millisecond in both tests. There was no statistical significance observed between male and female children (p > 0.05). Significant difference was found in VRT and ART parameters between age categories (p < 0.05). Significances were determined between 18 and 15 age groups, between 17 and 15 age groups and 16, between 15 age groups,  14 and 11, 12 age groups, between 13 and 11, 12 age groups, both VRT and ART (p < 0.05). In conclusion, it could be said that sedentary children perform faster reaction with increasing age between 11-18 years.  Article visualizations

THE EFFECT OF 8-WEEK EXERCISE PROGRAM ON SOME HEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS IN OBESE CHILDREN

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of eight weeks exercise program on some hematological parameters in obese and overweight children. A total of 44 boys aged 14-16 were included in the study. The obese group was divided into two groups as 22, and overweight group 22. Body mass index (BMI) values were used to determine obesity in the formation of groups. The children who participated in the study were selected activities according to the branches which lasted 60 minutes in 3 days a week for 3 weeks and the walking program was increased. Blood samples taken at rest and at the end of the study; WBC (leukocyte), RBC (erythrocyte), hemoglobin (HGB), hematocrit (HCT), platelet (PLT), mean platelet volume (MPV) and platelet distribution width (PDW) levels were analyzed. SPSS 22.0 statistical program (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA) was used for the statistical analysis of the data. Independent Samples T test for comparison of binary groups; Paired Samples T tests were used to analyze the difference between pre-test and post-test groups. At the end of the exercise, statistically significant differences were found in body weight, MCV, MPV and PDW values between the pre-test and post-test of the measured values of obese subjects (p <0.05). The body weight, BMI, RBC, HGB, HCT, MPV and PDW values of the overweight group were statistically significant (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups in obese and overweight groups (p>0.05). As a result, it can be said that the obese and overweight group caused changes in hematological parameters and the overweight group was more likely to be affected by the exercise than the obese group.  Article visualizations

The effect of short-term royal jelly supplement on testosterone levels in sedentary and healthy individuals

This study with a placebo-controlled experimental design intends to investigate the effect of shortterm Royal Jelly (RJ) on the testosterone levels in sedentary men at a dose of 1000 mg/day. For this purpose, a total of 20 adult sedentary men aged 21 to 23 were included in this study. The subjects visited the laboratory every day for 15 days between 08:00 and 10:00 to get their portion of royal jelly. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, namely the experimental group (n = 10 individuals, 1000 mg/day of Royal Jelly) and the placebo group (n = 10 individuals, corn starch mixed with 1000 mg/day of water) and they took royal jelly in glass vials at the same time. Blood samples were taken from both groups of subjects one day before and one day after the study and analyzed to determine their testosterone levels. 2x2 mixed factor ANOVA and LSD tests were used to analyze data obtained from the experimental and the placebo group. A sharp increase in the testosterone levels of the experimental group that took RJ for a short time was found to be statistically significant (p0.05). The study shows that a short-term 1000 mg/day dose of RJ supplements was effective in increasing testosterone levels in sedentary, healthy men. © Mattioli 1885

INVESTIGATION OF THE REACTION TIMES OF 13-14 YEARS OLD VIDEO GAME PLAYERS AND RACKET ATHLETES

The aim of the presented research was to examine the reaction times of 13-14-years old racket athletes (RAs) (badminton, table tennis, court tennis) and video game players (VGPs). A total of 96 subjects (68 male, 28 female) participated voluntarily in the research. The mean age of the participants was 13.38± 0.74 years, body weight was 50.60 ±1.5 kilograms (kg), stature was 157.42 ± 13.12 centimeters (cm). The individuals who met the criterion of spending at least 10 hours a week by training / playing video games for at least 5 years were called as RAs / VGPs. RT against auditory and visual stimuli were recorded by using a MP36 device (Biopac System, USA). Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate whether continuous variables were normally distributed. Mann-Whitney U-test and Independent Samples “t” test were used for the comparisons of continuous variables between the groups. Pearson and Spearman rank correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the correlations between the continuous variables. Statistical significance level was accepted as p<0.05. SPSS v.21 program was used for statistical analyzes. A statistically significant difference was determined in terms of audio-visual right hand RT (p<0.001) and audio-visual left hand RT (p<0.01) when compared values of VGPs to those of sedentary. However, no statistically significant difference was detected in the audio-visual right-left hand RT values of the VGPs compared to the RAs (p> 0.05). In conclusion, it was determined that the audio-visual hand RT values were similar for the VGPs and RAs.  Article visualizations

EXAMINATION OF THE FINGER TAPPING TEST AND MENTAL ROTATION ACHIEVEMENT LEVEL OF THE ORIENTEERING ATHLETES

The purpose of this study is to assess the cognitive skills and the audio visual perceptions of orienteering athletes and to research the relationship between these two. 17 male athletes, who have been playing orienteering sport for at least 2 years, whose average age is 16.3 ± 1.6 years, participated voluntarily in our study. Reaction time test, mental rotation tests were implemented to the participants on successive days, during the same time zone, and in a quiet environment favorable for testing. The "Finger Tapping Test” (FTT), in which the speed of consecutive motor movements was evaluated was implemented via a computer program and the athletes were asked to press the specified key consecutively for 20 seconds. The obtained data was recorded. In conclusion, it was determined that the random-interval audio visual reaction times are longer than the Fix-interval audio visual reaction times. It was concluded that each question was answered in 8.7 seconds on average during the mental rotation test implemented in the study; whereas it was discovered that the correct answer average was 9.8 in the MR test, which consists of 16 questions. When the answers given by the athletes to the test questions were examined, it was determined that 4 athletes, who answered each question approximately in 3 seconds and completed the test in under 1 minute, are not successful in terms of accuracy and duration. These results indicate that the mental rotation performances of the orienteering athletes are not at a good level.  Article visualizations

A Comparative of Finger Tapping Test Scores Elite Athletes, Art, Foreign Languages and Computer- Instructional Technology Students

Fine motor skill is ability to control and coordinate the small muscles in the hand for precise movements. Fine motor skill have been associated with several other cognitive abilities, including processing speed executive functions and scholastic skills. Fine motor skill in the early years have also been shown to predict later academic achievement, especially in reading and mathematics and to predict underachievement in able students at school. In this aspect our objective in this study was to compare finger tapping test scores between students of art, foreign languages, computer-instructional technologies and elite athletes. A significant difference was found between elite athletes and all groups in finger tapping test scores. Elite athletes performed more finger taps than other groups in the same period. In conclusion, the more importance of fine motor skill in terms of sporting success also explains the difference of the finger tapping test performances between the groups. Keywords: education, motor skills, finger tapping, elite athlete

Comparison of muscle activation during push-ups exercise on stable and unstable surfaces

Bu çalışmada, instabilite cihazlarında ve sabit zeminde yapılan şınav egzersizi sırasında Pectoralis Majör (PM), Antreior Deltoid (AD) ve Triceps Brachii (TB) kaslarının elektromiyografik aktivasyonlarının belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır. 18-25 yaş aralığında 25 katılımcı, sabit bir yüzey, her iki taraf da kullanılan top (BOSU), Pilates topu ve Fonksiyonel egzersiz bandı (TRX) üzerinde çapraz geçişli deney tasarımında şınav egzersizi uyguladı. Katılımcılar 2 saniye iniş, 2 saniye çıkış fazı olmak üzere 3 tekrardan oluşan şınav hareketini sırasıyla 4 zeminde uyguladı. Egzersiz sırasında PM, AD ve TB kaslarının amplitüdünü belirlemek için yüzey elektromiyografisi (sEMG) kullanıldı. sEMG genliği, kasların izometrik kasılmaları sırasında en yüksek tepe tork değerini veren maksimum istemli kasılma (MİK) yöntemi kullanılarak normalleştirildi. PM kasında TRX’te sabit zemin ve BOSU’ya göre önemli ölçüde daha yüksek normalize sEMG amplitüdü (%MİK) değerleri tespit edildi. AD kasında Pilates topunda diğer zeminlere göre önemli ölçüde daha düşük %MİK değerleri tespit edildi. TB kasında sabit yüzey ve BOSU’ya kıyasla TRX ve Pilates topunda önemli ölçüde daha yüksek %MİK değerleri tespit edilirken BOSU’da sabit zemine göre daha yüksek değerler tespit edildi. TRX’te şınav PM, AD, TB kasları için daha fazla zorluk isteyen antrenörler için iyi bir seçenek olabilirken; AD kası için şınav egzersizinde pilates topunu tercih etmek doğru olmayabilir.In this study, it was aimed to determine the electromyographic activations of Pectoralis Major (PM), Anterior Deltoid (AD), and Triceps Brachii (TB) muscles during push-up exercises performed on instability devices and a stable surface. Twenty-five participants aged 18-25 performed push-ups in an experimental crossover design on a stable surface, both sides utilized ball (BOSU), Pilates ball, and TRX Suspension Trainer (TRX). Participants completed the push-up exercise consisting of 3 repetitions, 2 seconds of descent, and 2 seconds of ascent, on four floors, respectively. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to determine the amplitude of the PM, AD, and TB muscles during exercise. The sEMG amplitude was normalized using the maximum voluntary contraction (MİK) method, which gives the highest peak torque value during isometric contractions of the muscles. Significantly higher normalized sEMG amplitude (%MİK) values were detected in the PM muscle compared to the stable surface and BOSU in TRX. In the AD muscle, significantly lower %MİK values were detected on the Swiss Ball compared to the other surfaces. Compared to the stable surface and BOSU in the TB muscle, significantly higher %MİK values were detected in the TRX and Swiss Ball, while higher values were detected in the BOSU than in the stable surface. While TRX can be a good option for trainers who want more challenge for the PM, AD, and TB muscles, It may not be suitable to prefer the Swiss Ball in push-up exercise for AD muscle

Acute effects of different types of exercises on insulin-like growth factor-1, homocysteine and cortisol levels in veteran athletes

This study aimed to investigate acute effects of table tennis(physical+cognitive exercise), aerobic running (physical exercise), and chess (cognitive exercise) exercise sessions of veteran male athletes in their branches on the serum homocysteine (Hcy), insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and cortisol (Cor) levels. Thirty veteran athletes [10 table tennis players (TT), 10 long-distance runners (LR), 10 chess players (CP)] and 10 sedentary controls (SC) between 50 and 65 years of age participated in the study. Blood samples were obtained before and immediately after exercise to determine serum Hcy, IGF-1, and Cor levels. According to their branch, each veteran athlete performed exercise sessions (70-75% of the participants' heart rate reserve) of 10-min of warm-up followed by 40-min of table tennis, aerobic running, or chess. TT and LR groups demonstrated significant increases in the serum IGF-1, Cor, and Hcy levels from pre to post-exercise (p0.05). LR group had a greater serum Cor increase than all exercise groups (p<0.05). The TT group showed significantly greater changes in serum Cor levels than the CP group (p<0.05). In conclusion, although a single bout of aerobic running and table tennis exercise induces a remarkable increase in all measured biomarkers, chess exercise only elicits an increase in Hcy levels. Although aerobic running is more effective in increasing Cor levels than other types of exercise, the current study's findings suggest that serum Hcy and IGF-1 levels in veteran male athletes are not affected by the type of exercise