نوع مقاله : مطالعه پژوهشی اصیل
نویسندگان
1 پژوهشگر پسادکتری مدیریت ورزشی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی، اردبیل، ایران
2 گروه مدیریت ورزشی، دانشگاه محقق اردبیلی، اردبیل، ایران
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Purpose
Decision-making is a critical aspect of cognitive control that involves evaluating desires and modulating behavioral responses (Coutlee & Huettel, 2012). Neuroscientific research has identified two main types of decision-making: risky decision-making, linked to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and decision-making under ambiguity, linked to the orbitofrontal cortex (Bechara et al., 1996). In sports, the decision-making process is influenced by environmental, temporal, and regulatory conditions that athletes face (Ghayebzadeh et al., 2021). Chess, as a cognitive sport, enhances skills such as decision-making, problem-solving, and judgment.
Gender differences are one factor that can impact decision-making; men tend to take more risks than women, and younger, less experienced individuals are more prone to risk-taking. Recent studies have suggested that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can enhance cognitive functions in sports (Ghayebzadeh et al., 2023). This study aims to explore how tDCS affects risk-taking decisions in chess players, taking into account gender differences. The ultimate objective is to improve cognitive and strategic performance in chess through non-invasive brain stimulation techniques.
Materials and Methods
In a counterbalanced, double-blind, and sham-controlled study design, 28 high school students, 14 females (16±0.87) and 14 males (16.5±1.22), who actively participated in regional and national chess competitions, volunteered for this study. Inclusion criteria required participants to be right-handed, have no history of clinical impairments or neurological disorders, not use any external or internal electrical stimulators, and have at least 1 year of experience in sports competitions at various levels. All participants were briefed on the study protocol, and written informed consent was obtained from each individual. The experimental procedure was approved by the Ethics Committee on Biomedical Research at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran (IR. UMA.REC.1402.103), and conducted following the declaration of Helsinki guidelines. Prior to the experimental sessions, participants underwent a familiarization session to understand the entire experimental process and the tDCS intervention. Subsequently, each participant visited the laboratory on three different occasions with 72-hour intervals between sessions. During each session, before and after each type of stimulation (right anodal/left cathodal, right cathodal/left anodal, and sham, each applied for 20 minutes at 2 mA intensity on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), participants completed the Iowa Gambling Task and the Lichess computer game.
Results
The overall results of the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) based on gender before and after tDCS intervention under three different stimulation types are presented in Table 1.
Given the non-significant interaction effect, the main effect of the between-group factor was analyzed. The results showed no significant difference between the two groups (boys and girls) in terms of gender across any of the stimulation types (F(1, 26) = 0.674, P= 0.419). However, the main effect of the within-group factor revealed a significant difference among the three stimulation models (F(2, 25) = 11.06, P=0.001), with an eta coefficient of 0.470, indicating a very large effect size. Pairwise comparisons of the three stimulation models using Bonferroni correction indicated that the risk-taking decision score in the right anodal/left cathodal stimulation condition was significantly higher than in the right cathodal/left anodal stimulation condition (P=0.001).
Conclusion
Neuroimaging studies have demonstrated a significant correlation between the DLPFC and risky decision-making in chess players following right anodal/left cathodal stimulation. Chess, being a strategic and mental game, involves risk-taking decisions, such as sacrificing a piece or initiating an attack. Right anodal/left cathodal stimulation on the DLPFC alters the reward/punishment balance, leading to an increase in risk-taking decisions. Conversely, right cathodal/left anodal stimulation reduces risk-taking decisions. This study suggests that these differences are influenced by personality traits, with extroverted individuals tending to take more risks, while introverted individuals act more cautiously. Other factors like stress, emotions, and impulsivity can also play a role. Furthermore, the findings indicated no significant difference between different tDCS conditions and gender. The relationship between gender and risk-taking is complex and may be influenced by cultural norms, individual differences, and social upbringing. From a practical perspective, these results suggest that brain modulation or "neurodoping" could be a potential strategy to enhance athletes' performance.
Ethical Considerations
All procedures were approved by the Ethics Committee on Biomedical Research at the University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran (Code: IR.UMA.REC.1402.103), and conducted following the declaration of Helsinki guidelines.
Funding
This project has been supported by the “University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran”
Authors' contributions
All authors contributed equally to the data collection, conceptualization, data analysis; presentation of the idea, authorship of the introduction, discussion and methodology, writing and revision of the article.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments
We sincerely thank and appreciate all the people who participated in this research.
کلیدواژهها [English]