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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Cognitive Neuroscience
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2025.1487737

The Effect of Infra Low Frequency -Neurofeedback Training on pistol shooting Performance and Attention in Semi-Skilled Players

Provisionally accepted
Maryam Kavyani Maryam Kavyani 1,2*Safoura Bakhtafrooz Safoura Bakhtafrooz 2Alireza Farsi Alireza Farsi 2
  • 1 Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
  • 2 Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences and Technology in Sport ,Department of Sport and health science, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Alborz, Iran

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: Neurofeedback (NF) typically involves an operant conditioning or other reinforcement protocol aimed at self-regulating patterns of brain activation. Endogenous Neuromodulation, characterized by the absence of discrete reinforcers, has emerged over the last two decades with the extension of training into the infra-low frequency regime, i.e. below 0.1 Hz. Specifically, Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) Neurofeedback training has demonstrated efficacy in enhancing the self-organization and regulation of the central nervous system in considerable generality. The present study explores a pivotal question: Can Infra-Low Frequency (ILF) Neurofeedback, acknowledged for its influence on arousal, vigilance, and emotional states, effectively enhance both attention generally and shooting performance specifically? Additionally, we explored whether the training exerted beneficial effects on three attentional networks-Conflict, Orienting, and Alerting. Methods: To assess shooting performance, we employed the Shooter's Coordination Analysis Target Training (SCATT), while attention networks were gauged through the Attention Network Test (ANT). Twenty semi-skilled pistol shooters, aged 28-40, underwent both the ANT and SCATT assessments before and after completing 20 half-hour ILF-Neurofeedback sessions. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups: an ILF NFB group, which underwent 20 sessions of ILF NFB training, and a control group that received no NFB. Results: Our findings revealed that ILF-Neurofeedback significantly enhanced performance. In the ANT, the training led to a reduction in Conflict and an increase in Orienting and Alerting. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the effectiveness of ILF-Neurofeedback in improving shooting performance, and in positively impacting all three attention networks assessed by the ANT.

    Keywords: Infra-low frequency neurofeedback, Endogenous neuromodulation, Shooting, Attention network, Sports performance, Self-regulation

    Received: 28 Aug 2024; Accepted: 09 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Kavyani, Bakhtafrooz and Farsi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Maryam Kavyani, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.