Task-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Balance–Cognitive Dual Tasks in Ice Hockey Players: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
This study using functional near-infrared spectroscopy reveals that ice hockey players exhibit superior balance performance and task-dependent, efficient prefrontal cortex activation compared to non-athletes, characterized by increased resource allocation during static dual tasks and reduced activation during dynamic dual tasks.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of a preprint that has not been peer-reviewed. It is not medical advice. Do not make health decisions based on this content. Read full disclaimer
Imagine the human brain as a busy command center, constantly juggling the demands of the body and the mind. For decades, scientists believed that keeping your balance was an automatic reflex, a simple process handled deep in the brain without much conscious thought. However, recent research has shifted this view, revealing that staying upright, especially in complex situations, actually requires significant mental effort. The front part of the brain, known as the prefrontal cortex, acts like a manager for these tasks, deciding how much attention to give to walking, standing, or thinking. When we try to do two things at once—like balancing while solving a math problem—this manager has to split its resources. If the tasks are too hard, the brain gets overwhelmed, and performance in one or both areas suffers. Understanding how the brain handles this split attention is crucial, not just for general health, but for elite athletes who must make split-second decisions while moving at high speeds.
In a study published in late 2026, researchers from Harbin Sport University set out to see how this mental management system works in ice hockey players compared to regular adults. Ice hockey is a sport defined by its chaos: players skate at high speeds, change direction instantly, and make tactical choices while physically colliding with opponents. To succeed, they must maintain perfect balance on a slippery surface while processing a flood of information about teammates, opponents, and the puck. The researchers wanted to know if years of this specific training changed how the players' brains used energy. They recruited seventeen male ice hockey players and seventeen non-athlete men of the same age. All participants were asked to perform five different tasks in a quiet lab. These tasks ranged from simple standing still to tracking a moving target on a screen while simultaneously performing mental math, specifically subtracting numbers by seven.
To measure what was happening inside the brain without asking the participants to lie down in a noisy machine, the team used a technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy. This involves wearing a helmet equipped with light sensors that shine harmless light through the scalp to measure blood flow in the prefrontal cortex. When a brain area is working harder, it consumes more oxygen, and the blood flow to that area increases. By tracking these changes, the researchers could see exactly which parts of the brain were lighting up during each task. They focused on specific regions, particularly the left side of the prefrontal cortex, an area known for handling complex planning and working memory.
The results painted a clear picture of how expert athletes differ from non-athletes. As expected, the ice hockey players were significantly better at balancing than the control group, whether they were standing still or tracking a moving target. When the players had to balance while doing math, their balance did not suffer as much as the non-athletes' did. Interestingly, both groups performed the math tasks with similar accuracy, meaning the athletes did not sacrifice their thinking skills to stay upright. This suggests that the athletes had found a more efficient way to share their mental resources.
The most revealing findings came from the brain scans. During the difficult task of balancing while moving and doing math, the ice hockey players showed less activity in the left prefrontal cortex than the non-athletes did. This supports a concept known as the neural efficiency hypothesis, which suggests that experts can achieve superior results with less mental energy because their brains have optimized their pathways through practice. It is as if the athletes' brains had learned to automate the balancing act, freeing up mental space for the game. However, the story was not the same for every type of balance. When the players were asked to balance while standing still and doing math, their brains actually showed more activity than the non-athletes. This indicates that their brains are not simply "off" or "on" all the time; instead, they adapt their energy use depending on the specific demands of the moment. For the dynamic, fast-paced movements they practice daily, they are highly efficient. For static standing, which is less common in their sport, they have to work harder.
The study also found a direct link between brain activity and balance performance. In both groups, when the balance task became harder and the person wobbled more, the activity in the left prefrontal cortex increased. This suggests that even for the experts, the brain remains in charge, ramping up its effort when the body faces a greater challenge. The research concludes that ice hockey players have developed a flexible, task-dependent strategy for using their brains. They do not just have stronger balance; they have a smarter way of allocating their mental energy, conserving it for the dynamic movements that matter most in their sport while knowing exactly when to engage more resources when the situation demands it. This work provides a window into the invisible mental training that happens alongside physical practice, showing how the brain of an elite athlete is uniquely tuned to the chaos of the ice.
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