Table Of Content‘The Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology is a useful reference source for educators,
researchers, students and practitioners in sport psychology and allied fields. If sports provide a
microcosm for life’s physical and mental struggles and achievements, this book is a great way to
learn more about the brain, and how it can be optimized for both performance and recovery.
Emphasizing ecological approaches that have gained widespread use in the high-performance
training culture, the authors convey how the core principles of neuroscience/social neuroscience,
psychophysiology, and biofeedback can help athletes and coaches optimize training, performance,
and rehabilitation, each by understanding how the human brain has evolved to optimize skill
performance, cope with expected and unexpected challenges, and remain robust to injuries and
defeats through biologically-mediated healing and recovery. Understanding these systems will
help athletes of all levels learn how to leverage them most effectively, just like honing any
performance-related skill. Whether you are seeking an introduction to the neuropsychology of sports
or a primer on the brain, this book is a well-written, well-curated new resource for the community.’
– Justin Baker, MD, PhD, Scientific Director, Institute for Technology in Psychiatry,
McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School
‘The Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology combines the latest theory, research, and
practical insights in this rapidly evolving space. The breadth of topics covered by the team of re-
nowned experts, led by Dr. Roland A. Carlstedt and Dr. Michela Balconi, represents a landmark
contribution to the field. While not sacrificing scientific rigor, the book is accessible and relevant
not only to clinicians and scientists but also students, coaches, and athletes. From the most recent
advances utilizing digital technologies to the fundamental theories grounding the field of sport
neuroscience and psychophysiology, this book offers unrivaled access and information.’
– John Torous, MD, MBI, Director of the Division of Digital Psychiatry,
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
‘Elegantly written, the Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology takes on a journey
through the neural pathways of sport. This book is a clear guide to what is going on in our brains
in real time as we engage in physical activity and participate in our favorite past times. Using the
advanced technology, including neuroimaging, EEG, bio and neurofeedback, the authors probe
deep into our brains and map out our electrophysiological and hemodynamic responses during
sport activity and physical exercise. This is a must read for clinicians, researchers, instructors,
students, athlete, and coaches. It is a seminal reference for how the brain works in the context of
sport and evidence-based, biomarker approaches to assessing and enhancing athletic performance
as well as the clinical neuroscience of exercise and brain concussion. Welcome to the present and
future of sport neuroscience.’
– Philippe Douyon, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Seton Hall-Hackensack
Meridian School of Medicine; Founder & CEO of The Inle BrainFit Institute
‘Expanding on his own pioneering studies of professional athletes, Dr. Roland A. Carlstedt, to-
gether with Dr. Michela Balconi, recruited prominent contemporary researchers and practitioners
to produce the first comprehensive handbook offering both applied and theoretical perspectives on
the neuroscience and psychophysiology of sport performance—again a pioneering contribution.
Underscoring the timeliness of this handbook, there is a growing interest in how best to nurture
and monitor both the progress and long-term well-being of athletic talents at any level.’
– Auke Tellegen, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology,
University of Minnesota
‘In this cutting-edge book, Dr. Roland A. Carlstedt has assembled a blue-ribbon collection of
international authors to present the state of the art in sport neuroscience and psychophysiology.
Did you know that “motor imagery” can now be imaged using creative experimental paradigms
and sophisticated brain imaging technology? Or that teams seem to produce a “group mind” that
can be quantified using “mind-body” measures or that heart rate deceleration during pre-action
phases of competition appears to be a biomarker of being In-the-Zone? These and many other
questions are addressed and answered in this comprehensive handbook, making it a must-read for
students, clinicians, sport psychologists, coaches and athletes. It is an excellent reference source
and the go-to textbook for college courses in sport neuroscience and psychophysiology (that I
think will proliferate because of this book).’
– Stanley Krippner, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Saybrook University;
American Board of Sport Psychology
‘The Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology is an invaluable sport psychology r esource—
in addition to those in the psychology field, it will also be of interest to practitioners in sports
medicine as well as coaches and athletes. I will be using the book in my Sports Medicine Fellow-
ship training program. The book is a review of the literature in-of-itself, providing readers with
a survey of seminal research in the context of evidence-based, validated approaches to athlete
assessment/diagnostics, mental and peak performance training. As a former tennis professional,
I appreciate how this book can also benefit competitive athletes by exposing them to advanced
procedures, methods and analytics. I will recommend it to my colleagues, trainees, student-
athletes, coaches, and patients. All-in-all, this is a landmark book that I think will have a major
impact in a number of fields that focus on sports and athletes and beyond.’
– Clifford Stark, DO, Clinical Director, Sports Medicine at Chelsea, New York City;
Director, Northwell Health Plainview Hospital Sports Medicine Fellowship;
Clinical Instructor, New York University Langone Medical Center
Handbook of Sport Neuroscience
and Psychophysiology
Out of the broad arena of sport science and sport psychology, Roland A. Carlstedt presents a
comprehensive collection on the neuroscience and associated psychophysiology that underlies and
drives sport performance. Featuring sections ranging from the basics and foundations (anatomy
and physiology) to the applied (assessment during competition, training, and mental training),
Handbook of Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology is the first volume to provide students, re-
searchers, practitioners, and coaches the latest knowledge on the brain, mind-body processes, and
psychophysiological responding in the context of sport performance.
Roland A. Carlstedt, PhD, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School and American Board
of Sport Psychology.
Michela Balconi, PhD, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart - UCSC, Milan, Italy.
Handbook of Sport
Neuroscience and
Psychophysiology
Edited by Roland A. Carlstedt
AssociAte editor
MichelA BAlconi
First published 2019
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2019 Taylor & Francis
The right of Roland Carlstedt to be identified as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Carlstedt, Roland A., editor. | Balconi, Michela, associate editor.
Title: Handbook of sport neuroscience and psychophysiology /
Edited by Roland Carlstedt; Associate Editor, Michela Balconi.
Description: New York, NY: Routledge, 2019. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018021219 | ISBN 9781138852174 (hbk: alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781138852181 (pbk: alk. paper) | ISBN 9781315723693 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Sports—Psychological aspects. |
Sports—Physiological aspects. | Neurosciences.
Classification: LCC GV706.4 .H3714 2019 | DDC 796.01/5—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018021219
ISBN: 978-1-138-85217-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-85218-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-72369-3 (ebk)
Typeset in Bembo
by codeMantra
Contents
List of Contributors x
About the Editors xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Introduction
1 Applied, Integrative and Ecological Biomarker-Guided Sport
Neuroscience and Psychophysiology: Fundamentals, Research,
Procedures, Methods and Analytics: An Overview of Chapters 1
ROLAND A. CARLSTEDT
SECTION I
Fundamentals and Research in Sport Neuroscience
and Psychophysiology 5
2 The Neural Pathway of Sport Actions: From Seeing and
Hearing to Doing: Perception-Action Relationships 7
PAOLA CESARI AND COSIMO URGESI
3 Fundamentals of Electroencephalography and Optical
Imaging for Sport and Exercise Science: From the Laboratory
to On-the-Playing-Field Acquired Evidence 40
MICHELA BALCONI AND DAVIDE CRIVELLI
4 Sport-Related EEG Activity: What Have We Learned
from a Quarter-Century’s Worth of Research? 70
KARLA A. KUBITZ
5 Neuroimaging: Techniques and Applications in Sports 112
CHANTEL MAYO AND JODIE R. GAWRYLUK
6 fMRI in Sport and Performance Research: A Synthesis
of Research Findings 122
DANIEL T. BISHOP AND MICHAEL J. WRIGHT
vii
contents
7 From Investigation to Intervention: Biofeedback and
Neurofeedback Biomarkers in Sport 151
MICHELA BALCONI, FRANCESCA PALA, DAVIDE CRIVELLI,
AND VALERIA MILONE
8 Understanding Neural Mechanisms of Memory in Rapid
Recognition of Football Formations 169
KYLE K. MORGAN, DON M. TUCKER, AND PHAN LUU
9 Psychologically Mediated Heart Rate Variability during
Official Competition: Ambulatory, Ecological Investigations
of the Heart Rate Deceleration Response with Implications for
Quantifying Flow 179
ROLAND A. CARLSTEDT
SECTION II
Applied Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology: Intervention
and Mental Training 203
10 Ecological, Volitional Inducement of Heart Rate Deceleration in
Athletes during Competition: A Mental Training Protocol 205
ROLAND A. CARLSTEDT
11 The Use of Gaze Training to Expedite Motor Skill Acquisition 237
MARK R. WILSON AND SAMUEL J. VINE
12 Cognitive Strategies to Enhance Motor Performance: Examples
of Applying Action Observation, Motor Imagery and
Psyching-up Techniques 248
AMBRA BISIO AND MARCO BOVE
13 Neurofeedback Research in Sport: A Critical Review
of the Field 282
ANDREW M. COOKE, EDUARDO BELLOMO, GERMANO GALLICCHIO,
AND CHRISTOPHER RING
14 Neurofeedback in Sport: Theory, Methods, Research,
and Efficacy 304
TSUNG-MIN HUNG AND MING-YANG CHENG
15 We Think, Therefore We Are: A Social Neuroscience
Perspective on Team Dynamics, Hyper-Brains, and
Collective Minds 320
EDSON FILHO AND GERSHON TENENBAUM
viii
contents
SECTION III
Clinical Sport Neuroscience and Psychophysiology 333
16 Neuroanatomy and Cellular Mechanisms of
Sports- Related Concussion and Traumatic Brain Injury 335
KENNETH PERRINE, SUZANNE ZUCKERMAN, AND PHILIP E. STIEG
17 The Neuropsychology of Concussion 360
RICHARD O. TEMPLE
18 Beyond Physical Exercise: Designing Physical Activities for
Cognitive Enhancement 373
DAVID MOREAU
19 The Reticular-Activating Hypofrontality (RAH) Model 385
ARNE DIETRICH, JULIEN DIRANI, AND ZEEAD YAGHI
SECTION IV
Equipment, Instrumentation and Technology in Sport
Neuroscience and Psychophysiology 397
20 Technology Product Options in Sport Neuroscience
and Psychophysiology 399
DIVYA JAIN AND ZIBA ATAK
Index 407
ix
