Associations between sensorimotor gating mechanisms and athletic performance in a variety of physical conditioning tests.

Abstract

The elite athlete is fine-tuned all around to deliver favorable results in sporting events. In this study, we address the question of whether basic movements-such as reflexes-and heterogeneous attentional modulation components-such as sensorimotor gating mechanisms-are also tuned up to maximize the results of middle-distance runners in physical conditioning tests. We selected an array of professional middle-distance runners and healthy counterparts that were submitted to measurement of (1) physical conditioning parameters, including somatotype, jump, strength, and flexibility tests; and (2) sensorimotor gating mechanisms, including acoustic startle reflex, prepulse inhibition, and habituation. Our results showed athletes scored better on the athletic tests compared to controls, as expected. They also exhibited a lower startle amplitude, while maintaining higher prepulse inhibition values. They reacted faster to the acoustic stimuli, and sex-related differences-found in controls-were not present in athletes. Our data also pointed out to substantial correlations between sensorimotor gating and physical conditioning parameters. All in all, these data may point to physical conditioning-driven neural plasticity of brain sensorimotor gating circuits in charge of triggering involuntary movements to harness control and efficiency over reflexed muscle activity.