Does Sport Specific Brain Endurance Training Enhance Physical and Cognitive Performance in Elite Orienteering Athletes?

Self Paced endurance test (physical test part 1) To measure maximal self-paced endurance performance, a track and field test will be performed. This test is completed on a standard athletic track measuring 400m.

Change in Inhibition task performance (cognitive test part 1a) This cognitive test consists of the Stroop colour-word task. Participants perform this task on a computer whilst sitting in a quiet and dim lit room. Four words (yellow, blue, green, red) are serially presented on the screen until the participant validates an answer which is followed by a 1,500 ms interval.

Route Choice Assessment program (RCA) (cognitive test part 1b) Participants perform the RCA on a computer whilst sitting comfortably in a quiet and dim lit room. The RCA program is a specially designed computer program. The program contains approximately 1500 different orienteering legs.

Lactate levels during a submaximal 1000 m run is measured to assess physiological stress during the submax test.

The Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) is used to assess mood. This questionnaire, which is based on the Profile of Mood States, contains 24 items (e.g., angry, uncertain, miserable, tired, nervous, energetic) divided into six respective subscales: anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, tension, and vigor. The items are answered on a 5-point Likert scale (0 not at all, 1 a little, 2 moderately, 3 quite a bit, 4 extremely), and each subscale, with four relevant items, can achieve a raw score in the range of 0 to 16 with a higher number indicating a stronger expression. Because of the particular interest in mental fatigue in the present study, we specify that an alteration in the subscales for fatigue and vigor is an indication of mental fatigue.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) rating scale is used to assess subjective workload. The NASA-TLX is composed of six subscales: mental demand (How much mental and perceptual activity was required?), physical demand (How much physical activity was required?), temporal demand (How much time pressure did you feel due to the rate or pace at which the task occurred?), performance (How much successful do you think you were in accomplishing the goals of the task set by the experimenter?), effort (How hard did you have to work to accomplish your level of performance?) and frustration (How much irritating or annoying did you perceive the task?). The participants scores on each of the items on a scale divided into 20 equal intervals anchored by a bipolar descriptor (e.g. high/low). This score is multiplied by 5, resulting in a final score between 0 and 100 for each of the subscales with a higher number indicating a higher workload.

Motivation is measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) with 1 item (How motivated do you feel for the upcoming task?) The VAS scale consists of a 100-mm line anchored by a bipolar descriptor (not at all / a lot), on which participants mark their answer. Participants are instructed to answer VAS regarding their feeling of motivation for the upcoming task. The mark is transferred to a final score between 0 and 100 corresponding to the actual physical placement of the mark on the scale. A higher number indicating a high amount of motivation.