Investigation of prefrontal cortex hemodynamic responses to dual-task paradigm in football players

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dual-task paradigms (motor-cognitive) on prefrontal cortex hemodynamic responses and physiological parameters such as heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) in football players with varying levels of experience. A total of 58 male football players (n = 29 novices, n = 29 experts) participated in the study and completed tasks at three levels of difficulty: P1 (motor task), P2 (cognitive task), and P3 (complex cognitive cue task). The findings revealed that expert players exhibited significantly shorter reaction times across all task conditions (p < 0.001). Regarding oxyhemoglobin (HbO) levels, a statistically significant difference between the groups was observed only during the P3 task (p = 0.038). In terms of total hemoglobin (HbT), significant group differences were found in both the P1 (p = 0.039) and P3 (p = 0.017) tasks. Among novices, significant within-group differences in deoxyhemoglobin (HbR) levels were identified across the P1, P2, and P3 tasks (p = 0.020). Skin conductance values were consistently and significantly lower in the expert group compared to the novice group under all task conditions (p < 0.001–0.002). Regarding heart rate, a statistically significant difference between groups was detected only at the baseline measurement (p < 0.001). Overall, the results suggest that expert athletes are better able to sustain motor performance under conditions requiring prolonged attention and cognitive load. These findings offer valuable insights for the development of training protocols that are sensitive to experience level and aimed at enhancing multidimensional performance. Keywords: Prefrontal cortex, Dual-task, Skin conductance, Heart rate, Football