AI Article Synopsis
- The neuroendocrine system affects how humans form social connections and handle stress, which in turn impacts health and performance, particularly in athletes.
- The study investigates the influence of social closeness, like team cohesion, on athletes' performance and the hormonal responses (progesterone and cortisol) related to sports anxiety.
- Twenty-six female volleyball players participated, with measurements taken during their ovarian cycles to explore the relationship between hormonal fluctuations, anxiety management, and performance outcomes.
Article Abstract
Background: The neuroendocrine system has important implications for affiliation behavior among humans and can be used to assess the correlation between social relationships, stress, and health. This can be influenced by social closeness; this aspect is the closeness towards another individual or a group of individuals such as a sports team. Sports performance anxiety is considered an unpleasant emotional reaction composed of physiological, cognitive, affective, and behavioral components. This motivates us to learn about the process that can influence the outcome of competition. Hormones and genetics would seem to influence outcome and performance. In this regard, many studies have focused on the exercise response as a function of ovarian hormones and it has been observed that progesterone is a hormone that plays a key role in reducing anxiety, and thus stress, in humans and other animals. On the other hand, high cortisol concentrations are known to contribute to increased anxiety levels. However, the salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) enzyme has been suggested as marker of acute stress than cortisol. Genetics also seem to influence anxiety and stress management as in the case of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and striatal dopamine transporter (DAT). Therefore, the study aims to investigate social closeness, as a measure of sports team cohesion that can influence athletes' performance results, and its ability to influence the secretion of hormones, such as progesterone and cortisol, that affect the management of sports anxiety while also taking into account genetic background during a volleyball match.
Methods: Twenty-six female volleyball players who volunteered participated in this study (mean ± SD: age, 12.07 ± 0.7 years), and played in the final of the provincial volleyball championship in Palermo. All girls were during the ovarian cycle, in detail between the follicular and early ovulatory phases.
Results: The results showed a significant decrease in salivary cortisol only in the winning group ( < 0.039). In fact, whilst in the latter the pre-match level was 7.7 ng/ml and then decreased to 4.5 ng/ml after the match, in the losers group change was not statistically significant (7.8 ng/ml 6.6 ng/ml pre- and post-match). As to the sAA concentration, the winning team showed a statistically significant variation between pre- and post-match than the losers (166.01 ± 250 U/ml 291.59 ± 241 U/ml) ( = 0.01).
Conclusion: Analyzing the results of the SAS-2 psychological test it is highlighted that, on average, the loser group was more anxious than the winning group, and this contributed to the final result. In conclusion, there is strong evidence supporting the state of the art that many factors can affect performance anxiety and thus the performance itself.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10883150 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16617 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Neuroprotective Potential of L. Essential Oil Against Scopolamine-Induced Memory Deficits and Oxidative Stress in a Zebrafish Model.
Biomolecules
January 2025
Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania.
L., also known as sweet marjoram, is a plant with multiple uses, both in the culinary field and traditional medicine, because of its major antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and digestive properties. In this research, we focused on the effects of essential oil (OmEO, at concentrations of 25, 150, and 300 μL/L), evaluating chemical structure as well as its impact on cognitive performance and oxidative stress, in both naive zebrafish (), as well as in a scopolamine-induced amnesic model (SCOP, 100 μM).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA Single Session of Beach Tennis with Recreational Athletes Improves Anxiety Symptoms in Women but Not in Men: A Randomized Trial.
Int J Environ Res Public Health
December 2024
Faculty of Physical Education and Dance, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia CEP 74690-900, Brazil.
Introduction: Beach tennis has become a popular sport, but research on its mental health benefits is scarce. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined the effects of beach tennis on anxiety symptoms.
Objectives: To assess the effect of a single session of beach tennis, in both singles and doubles modes, on anxiety symptoms.
Enhancement of Cognitive Benefits and Anti-Anxiety Effects of Fruits in a Zebrafish () Model of Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment.
Antioxidants (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, 700506 Iasi, Romania.
fruits exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. This study aims to investigate the phenolic profile of hydroethanolic extracts from both fresh (PEC) and dried (PEU) fruits of using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and to evaluate their impact on anxiety-like behavior, memory, oxidative stress, and cholinergic status in zebrafish (, Tübingen strain) treated with scopolamine (SCO, 100 μM). Acute administration of PEC and PEU (0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPsychometric Validation of the Simplified Chinese Version of the Dyspnoea-12 Questionnaire for Patients with Primary Lung Cancer.
Healthcare (Basel)
January 2025
The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
The simplified Chinese version of the Dyspnoea-12 Questionnaire (D-12) has not yet been translated and validated for patients with primary lung cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the simplified Chinese version of the D-12 for patients with primary lung cancer. This study analysed the baseline data of a randomised controlled trial that used an inspiratory muscle training intervention for patients with thoracic malignancies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCorrected Myopia and Its Association with Mental Health Problems Among Rural Primary School Students in Northwest China.
Ophthalmic Epidemiol
January 2025
Center for Experimental Economics in Education, Shaanxi Normal University, Xian, China.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the myopia correction and its association with mental health problems among rural primary school students in China.
Methods: Using survey data from 17,950 students in 251 rural primary schools, this study examines the association between corrected myopia and mental health problems, as well as academic performance among rural students in China. Vision exams were offered to sample students, and student mental health status was measured using the Mental Health Test (MHT).
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!