Enhanced attention and memory in slackline practitioners: a descriptive study

Abstract

Introduction: It has been shown that the practice of Slackline, a sports discipline that consists of balancing on a rope anchored between two fixed points, not only can improve motor aspects such as body balance and postural control, but also cognitive aspects such as spatial orientation. Here we wonder whether the practice of Slackline is related to other cognitive functions such as attention and/or memory. Materials and methods: Slackline practitioners were invited to take the Toulouse-Pieron test to assess attention and the Benton test to assess visual memory. The same tests were applied to a control group composed of people of the same age and with the same educational level. Results: 14 Slackline practitioners, mean age 23.7 ± 4.1 years, and 14 controls, mean age 23.5 ± 3.5 years, participated in the study. When comparing the groups, we observed differences of 20% in the memory score (p<0.001) and 30 points in the attention test (p=0.031) in favor of the Slackline group. In addition, a high direct correlation was observed between years of Slackline practice and attention (r = 0.710), and a moderate direct correlation between years of Slackline practice and visuospatial memory (r = 0.332). Conclusion: These findings allow us to suggest practice of Slackline is related to enhanced attention and memory and may represent a prophylactic alternative to generate functional reserves or to treat cognitive disorders such as ADHD. Keywords: cognitive functions, executive functions, body balance and physical activity