Brain-Behavior Mechanisms for the Transfer of Neuromuscular Training Adaptions to Simulated Sport: Initial Findings From the Train the Brain Project.
Dustin R Grooms, Adam W Kiefer, Michael A Riley and 14 others
PMID 29584523WHAT IT FOUND
In four female soccer players, brain activity changes during knee tasks were closely associated with lower-risk landing movements in virtual soccer after six weeks of visual-feedback neuromuscular training.
This is an initial link, not proof the training prevents injury.
Key findings
01After a 6-week augmented neuromuscular training program, changes in brain activity were correlated with transfer of injury risk-reducing biomechanics during a simulated soccer scenario.
02In four participants, increased brain activity in sensory, visual-spatial, and motor planning regions during leg extension was significantly related to reduced hip adduction during VR landing.
03Decreased motor cortex activity during the leg press was significantly associated with reduced hip adduction and reduced knee rotation during VR landing.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only four female athletes, so the correlations are very preliminary and may not generalize. The measured outcome was landing biomechanics in a simulated soccer task, not injury outcomes. The study reports changes from pretraining to posttraining within the same athletes, so it cannot show what would have happened without training. The findings are correlations between changes in brain activity and changes in landing mechanics, not evidence that brain changes caused better mechanics or that the training prevents injury. The Discussion's suggestions about adding visual-spatial challenges, dual tasks, or neural stimulation are hypotheses, not tested interventions.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this training prevents ACL injury or improves sport performance. The study followed four female athletes and reported correlations between changes in brain activity and changes in simulated landing mechanics, not a controlled injury-prevention trial.