Saccades and Prefrontal Hemodynamics in Basketball Players

We investigated saccade performance and prefrontal hemodynamics in basketball players with different skill levels. Subjects were 27 undergraduate basketball players and 13 non-athlete undergraduates (control group: CON). The players were divided into two groups: those who had played in the National Athletic Meet during high school or played regularly (n = 13, elite group: ELI) and those who were bench warmers (n = 14, skilled group: SKI). Horizontal eye movement and oxy-, deoxy-, and total-hemoglobin (Hb) concentration in the prefrontal cortex during pro- and anti-saccade were measured using electro-oculography and near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. Only error rate in anti-saccade was less in ELI (4.8 +/- 4.0%) than SKI (13.7 +/- 12.6%) and CON (13.9 +/- 8.3%) (p < 0.05). In ELI alone, oxy- (-0.15 +/- 0.18 mmol*mm) and total-Hb (-0.12 +/- 0.115 mmol*mm) during anti-saccade decreased significantly compared with that during rest (p < 0.05), while those in CON significantly increased (oxy-Hb: 0.17 +/- 0.15 mmol*mm, total-Hb: 0.14 +/- 0.14 mmol*mm) (p < 0.05). These results suggest that inhibition of eye movement to a visual target changes from voluntary to automatic through the motor learning of basketball.