The Effect of Sport-Specific Brain Endurance Training on Performance in Elite Orienteering Athletes

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the effect of a 6-week sport-specific BET intervention on cognitive and physical performance in elite orienteering athletes. Methods: A single-arm cross-over study with an initial 6-week control period (CON) followed by a 6-week brain endurance training (BET). Thirteen Danish national team orienteering athletes participated in the study. CON athletes adhered to planned physical, cognitive, and technical training. BET athletes added 20 min of route choice assessment (RCA) training after each weekly aerobic training session. The 30 min Stroop color-word task and a sport-specific RCA task evaluated general and sport-specific cognitive performance. A submaximal (1000 m) and a maximal (5000 m) running test were also conducted. Endpoints were assessed pre and post CON and post BET. Results: Average time used per RCA task was 1.4 ± 0.4 s lower following BET (27%) (p = 0.009) compared with no change after CON. Similarly, the total number of correct Stroop answers increased by 13.8 ± 5.21 points (2%) after BET with no change after CON. RCA time use declined steeply from session 1–7, whereafter average time use plateaued. Running performance did not differ significantly between periods. Conclusion: BET improved sport-specific performance and aspects of general cognitive performance, and may effectively improve cognitive parts important for elite orienteering performance.