Reaction time (RT) is a widely used measure for testing physical performance in motor tasks. This study focused on assessing the processing speed in athletes. Twenty-five healthy volunteers were assigned to the control (n = 16) or athletes groups (n = 9). They were evaluated during motor reaction tasks based on visual stimuli and three difficulty conditions. Physiological measures were obtained from motion capture and electromyography recordings of several muscles. Two RT phases, decision-making (DMK) and electromechanical delay (EMD), were used to analyze the processing speed. The results show significant RT differences between groups. The athletes were ~30% faster compared to the control group. Despite the fact that all participants were right-handed, RT did not show any differences between hands performances in any group. However, DMK time revealed significant differences between the hands. Controls showed a longer DMK time for the right-hand election, ~20% more than the left, while athletes showed no such disparity. These findings reveal that quantifying the decision-making component of reaction time is crucial to assessing processing speed in sport. This approach could facilitate the monitoring of adaptations in both motor–cognitive and neuromuscular processes. The theoretical implications presented in this study offer perspectives on handedness research.

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs), such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and frontotemporal dementia, among others, are increasingly prevalent in the global population. The clinical diagnosis of these NDs is based on the detection and characterization of motor and non-motor symptoms. However, when these diagnoses are made, the subjects are often in advanced stages where neuromuscular alterations are frequently irreversible. In this context, we propose a methodology to evaluate the cognitive workload (CWL) of motor tasks involving decision-making processes. CWL is a concept widely used to address the balance between task demand and the subject’s available resources to complete that task. In this study, multiple models for motor planning during a motor decision-making task were developed by recording EEG and EMG signals in $n=17$ healthy volunteers (9 males, 8 females, age $28.66\pm 8.8$ years). In the proposed test, volunteers have to make decisions about which hand should be moved based on the onset of a visual stimulus. We computed functional connectivity between the cortex and muscles, as well as among muscles using both corticomuscular and intermuscular coherence. Despite three models being generated, just one of them had strong performance. The results showed two types of motor decision-making processes depending on the hand to move. Moreover, the central processing of decision-making for the left hand movement can be accurately estimated using behavioral measures such as planning time combined with peripheral recordings like EMG signals. The models provided in this study could be considered as a methodological foundation to detect neuromuscular alterations in asymptomatic patients, as well as to monitor the process of a degenerative disease.

This study investigates the role of the premotor area (PMA) in motor planning during decision-making, focusing on differences between brain hemispheres. A cross-sectional assessment was conducted involving seventeen right-handed participants who performed tasks requiring responses with either hand to visual stimuli. Motion capture, EEG and EMG signals were collected to analyze corticomuscular coherence (CMC) in the beta and gamma bands across four motor-related cortical areas. Findings revealed significant beta-band CMC between anterior deltoids and contralateral PMA before stimulus onset in simple reaction tasks. Moreover, significant beta-band CMC was observed between the left anterior deltoid and the right PMA during the motor planning phase, prior to the onset of muscle contraction, corresponding with shorter planning times. This connectivity pattern was consistent across both simple and complex reaction tasks, indicating that the PMA plays a crucial role during decision-making. Notably, motor planning for the right hand did not exhibit the same connectivity pattern, suggesting more complex cognitive processes. These results emphasize the distinct functional roles of the left and right hemispheres in motor planning and underscore the importance of CMC in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying motor control. This study contributes to the theoretical framework of motor decision-making and offers insights for future research on motor planning and rehabilitation strategies.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of a High Intensity Interval Training protocol with straight running on the aerobic performance on male rugby players between 15 and 16 years old. Thirty three subjects voluntarily participated in the proposed training. Anthropometric measurements and estimates of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) were taken to characterize the subjects in the initial physical state. Subsequently, the maximal aerobic speed was estimated to set the training distances for each subject. The protocol was organized in six sessions divided in three weeks, consisting of two rounds of twelve repetitions with work intervals of ten seconds and ten seconds of passive pause. After six sessions estimates of VO2max were taken again. In the statistical treatment, non-parametric tests were used. The experimental group achieved a significant increase in VO2max of 12% (p <0.01), while the control group increased its yield by 6.8% (p <0.05).

Many disciplines have approached the study of human motor behavior. The motor learning theory based on information processing proposes a learning loop through interaction between the external environment and the central nervous system. Different neuroscience fields and technological advances provide a new perspective for the intensive study of the intrinsic processes of motor behavior, which modify the most visible aspect: motor efficiency. The aim of the present review was to determine which cortical and muscular electrophysiological biomarkers available in the literature could be representative for the study and quantification of motor efficiency. In this review, a survey of the literature related to motor production has been performed. The continuous development of biological signal monitoring techniques has allowed to understand part of the communication methods of the central nervous system, the integration of neural networks, and the interaction between different anatomic structures through rhythmic patterns of discharge known as brain waves. Motor production has been characterized by detecting electrophysiological biomarkers, taking into account the connectivity that can be represented by the corticomuscular and intermuscular coherence indices in different frequency bands. The present work proposes an approach to use these biomarkers on beta-band (for muscle stability synergies) and gamma-band (for mobility synergies). These indices will allow establishing quantitative parameters for motor efficiency, which could improve the precision of sports assessment.