The impact of nutrition on visual cognitive performance in the nutrition, vision, and cognition in sport study

To examine whether home-based NeuroTrackerX training improves cognitive performance and modulates brain activity in university-level soccer players.

Twenty-nine male university soccer players were assigned to either an NeuroTracker training group (30 home-based sessions over 9 weeks) or a control group continuing regular activities. Pre- and post-intervention assessments included NeuroTracker performance (3D-MOT), 2-back and 3-back working memory tasks, and EEG recordings (Fz) during n-back task performance.

The NeuroTracker group showed a significant increase in NeuroTracker scores post-training (p < .001), while the control group did not. Performance improved to approximately 128–130% of baseline after ~30 sessions, confirming effective learning in a home-based self-training format.

A significant improvement was observed in 2-back accuracy (p = .045) in the NeuroTracker group only, suggesting transfer to working memory and attentional updating under moderate load. No significant improvements were observed in the more demanding 3-back condition. Both groups responded faster at post-test, likely reflecting practice effects rather than training-specific changes.

During the 2-back task, alpha-band power (Fz) increased significantly post-training in the NeuroTracker group (p < .001). The authors interpret the alpha increase as reflecting improved attentional regulation and neural efficiency (inhibitory gating).

To examine whether a visual–spatial attention training intervention using 3D multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) influences motor performance and subsystem measures relevant to occupational performance.

Three pre-test/post-test studies were conducted:

• Study 1: Healthy young adults (n = 19) completed 8 NeuroTracker sessions; outcomes included the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) and gait parameters.
• Study 2: Healthy young adults (n = 41) completed 10 sessions; outcomes included SEBT, Stroop performance, and dual-task gait assessment.
• Study 3: A 12-year-old child with dyslexia completed 10 sessions; outcomes included SEBT, Stroop, Movement Assessment Battery for Children (MABC-2), Test of Visual Perceptual Skills (TVPS), gait, and visual convergence.

In healthy adults, the intervention groups demonstrated greater improvements in balance performance (SEBT) compared to controls, along with within-group improvements in attentional measures (Stroop). Dual-task gait parameters showed measurable changes following training, though functional improvements were less clearly defined than balance outcomes.

In the single-subject case study, clinically meaningful improvements were observed in visual-perceptual skills, balance subtests, and selected attentional measures, with additional non-clinically significant changes in gait and convergence.

The findings suggest that training visual–spatial attention through 3D-MOT may influence balance and attentional subsystems that contribute to occupational performance, with preliminary evidence of broader functional effects.

To examine whether relative age (birth quartile), training background, and stereopsis influence perceptual–cognitive performance measured using a 3D multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) task in youth athletes.

A total of 165 male youth athletes aged 10–16 years were categorized by birth quartile and training exposure (moderately trained: 1–2 sessions/week; well-trained: 4–5 sessions/week). Participants completed a standard NeuroTracker 3D-MOT protocol under both stereoscopic (3D) and non-stereoscopic (2D) conditions. Speed thresholds were calculated using an adaptive staircase procedure and compared across groups.

Among moderately trained athletes, those born earlier in the selection year outperformed relatively younger peers, demonstrating a perceptual–cognitive Relative Age Effect. However, in well-trained athletes, performance differences between birth quartiles disappeared, with later-born athletes achieving comparable tracking thresholds. Performance was significantly higher in 3D versus 2D conditions, but stereopsis did not interact with birth quartile or training status.

These findings suggest that structured training exposure may mitigate perceptual–cognitive disadvantages associated with relative age during development.

To investigate whether acute cognitive fatigue, induced via a Stroop task, affects multiple object tracking performance in young basketball athletes.

Participants were young basketball players who completed a standard Stroop task designed to induce cognitive fatigue. After the Stroop protocol, participants were assessed on a 3D multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) task to evaluate perceptual-cognitive tracking performance under fatigued cognitive conditions. Performance on the NeuroTracker task was compared between the fatigue condition and either baseline or control conditions.

Participants’ 3D-MOT performance did not show a significant decrement following Stroop-induced cognitive fatigue. Dynamic tracking thresholds and accuracy remained statistically similar across the fatigued and non-fatigued conditions, suggesting that the athletes’ perceptual-cognitive tracking ability was resilient to this laboratory-induced mental fatigue protocol.

To evaluate the effects of a vision training program — including 3D multiple object tracking (3D-MOT) as implemented in NeuroTracker — on perceptual-cognitive performance in an athletic or high-performance context.

Participants completed baseline NeuroTracker assessments using the standard CORE program (three CORE sessions and one sustained attention session) to establish baseline dynamic tracking speed thresholds. The training protocol involved repeated 3D-MOT sessions embedded within a broader vision training regimen. Performance was assessed pre- and post-training.

Baseline assessments used the NeuroTracker CORE protocol to quantify tracking thresholds. Post-training increases in baseline tracking performance were observed, suggesting that repeated 3D-MOT exposure enhanced basic perceptual-cognitive tracking ability. However, the pilot nature of the study and limited transfer to broader functional outcomes indicate that while 3D-MOT improves task-specific performance, the broader utility for real-world or sport performance remains preliminary.

To evaluate whether 30 days of dark sweet cherry (DSC) consumption improves executive function, NeuroTracker 3D-MOT performance, neuropeptide levels, and circadian rhythm biomarkers in adults with obesity.

Method
• Single-blind randomized controlled trial
• 40 adults with BMI 30–40 kg/m²
• DSC drink (200 mL twice daily) vs isocaloric placebo for 30 days
• Executive function assessed using TMT, Digit Span (forward/backward), and DSST
• Visual Cognitive Performance (VCP) assessed via 15 NeuroTracker CORE sessions
• Blood biomarkers: neurotensin, substance P, oxytocin, cortisol, melatonin

NeuroTracker performance was evaluated using speed threshold changes across baseline (sessions 1–3) and final (sessions 13–15) blocks.

Executive Function
• Significant improvements in Digit Span Forward (p = 0.006) and Backward (p = 0.01) in the DSC group
• No between-group differences in TMT or DSST
• Benefits were more pronounced in females and higher BMI subgroup

NeuroTracker (VCP)
• Both cherry and placebo groups improved significantly over 15 sessions (practice effect)
• No significant between-group differences
• Mean change (Δ) VCP: Cherry 0.26 vs Placebo 0.25 (p = 0.94)

Biomarkers
• Neurotensin increased significantly in placebo group only
• Melatonin increased significantly in placebo group only
• No significant treatment effects on cortisol or oxytocin