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Sports-Based Cognitive Game Program and Attention in Athletes

NCT07749937 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 95

Last updated 2026-08-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

This study looked at whether a 12-week sports-based cognitive game program could improve attention and change brain activity in athletes. Ninety-five active athletes from Düzce University were randomly placed into two groups. One group (45 people) took part in a cognitive game program twice a week for 12 weeks, in addition to their regular sports training. Each session lasted 45 minutes and included games designed to build attention, reaction speed, decision-making, and multitasking skills. The other group (50 people) continued their usual sports training without any additional program.

Before and after the 12 weeks, all participants completed a paper-and-pencil attention test (the d2 Attention Test) and had a short, painless brain-wave recording (EEG) taken from the forehead area while sitting quietly with their eyes closed. The researchers compared how much each group's attention scores and brain-wave patterns changed over the 12 weeks.

The results showed that the group who took part in the cognitive game program improved significantly more in attention performance than the group who did not, and also showed a favorable change in their brain-wave pattern (a lower theta/beta ratio, which is linked to better attention control). The group that continued regular training without the program showed little change in either measure.

These findings suggest that adding structured, game-based cognitive training to regular sports training may offer additional benefits for attention and brain function beyond physical training alone.

Conditions

  • Selective Attention
  • Attention Performance in Athletes

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Sports-Based Cognitive Game Development Program

A structured, five-stage sports-based cognitive game development program delivered twice weekly for 12 weeks (24 sessions total, 45 minutes per session), in addition to participants' regular sports training. The program followed a gradual cognitive load principle across five stages: (1) adaptation and basic cognitive infrastructure, (2) attention and reaction development, (3) decision-making and strategy, (4) concentration and multitasking performance, and (5) reinforcement and transfer to sport. Each session included five components: greeting and orientation (3 min), attention warm-up exercises (5 min), cognitive reaction games (15 min), strategy and decision-making games (15 min), and evaluation/closing (7 min). Sessions were delivered by a single PhD-level sport sciences researcher.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Duzce University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Yeşer Eroğlu Eskicioğlu, PhD · Duzce University

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
25 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-02-01
Primary Completion
2026-04-30
Completion
2026-04-30

Countries

  • Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07749937 on ClinicalTrials.gov