ECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH19
SanEtPerf: A virtual reality and mental preparation approach to enhance mental health and sports performance Rim Ridane Inserm U1075 COMETE - Université de Caen Normandie Introduction: Optimizing mental health is essential for elite athletes performance, yet it is often overlooked in favor of physical and technical training. Studies, such as the Drake Football Study, emphasize the need for long-term psychological monitoring in football players (Gouttebarge et al., 2019). Virtual reality (VR) has shown promising results in cognitive and motor training under stress (Neumann et al., 2018), while mental preparation (MP) enhances emotional resilience and cognitive efficiency (Ross-Stewart et al., 2018). The SanEtPerf project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a combined VR and MP protocol in regulating stress, improving sleep quality, and optimizing sports performance in professional footballers. Methods: A sample of male and female football players from Stade Malherbe de Caen (N = 22) will participate in a crossover experimental design. The study consists of three phases: Pre-test: Collection of anthropometric data, body composition, biomechanical measures, self-reported stress (STAI), and actigraphy-based sleep monitoring. Intervention: Athletes undergo five VR-based stress exposure sessions, incorporating decision-making under pressure, coupled with mental preparation strategies such as cognitive reframing and attentional control. Post-test: Reassessment of the same variables to quantify the impact of the intervention on emotional regulation, sleep efficiency, and motor performance. Expected Results This study hypothesizes that: VR exposure combined with MP will significantly reduce stress and anxiety levels in high-pressure environments. Improved emotional regulation will enhance sleep quality, leading to better recovery. Athletes will show improved motor performance under stress, as assessed through biomechanical testing. Discussion The interplay between mental resilience, stress regulation, and performance optimization is a crucial aspect of high-level sports. Findings from SanEtPerf will contribute to a deeper understanding of how technological and psychological interventions can synergistically enhance athletes well-being and competitive abilities. If validated, this protocol could be applied broadly across various elite sports to provide scalable, personalized training tools for mental health and performance enhancement. Conclusion By integrating neuroscience, immersive technology, and sports science, SanEtPerf proposes a novel and interdisciplinary approach to optimize both mental well-being and motor performance. These findings will be presented at ECSS 2025 in Rimini, contributing to discussions on VR-based interventions in elite sports training.
Read CV RIDANE RimECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH19
INTRODUCTION: Depression has become a prevalent and debilitating public health condition and the predominant cause of suicide globally, affecting mostly young adults (1). Increased screen time may contribute to depressive symptoms (2). Pharmacological interventions are the first-line treatment, while exercise interventions in adults show promise as an effective alternative treatment option (3). Limited research exists about the effects of a supervised exercise intervention on symptoms of depression, cortisol and screen time in young adults (3). This study aimed to examine the effect of a supervised aerobic exercise intervention on depressive symptoms in young South African adults aged 18-25 years. METHODS: Seventy-nine (n=79) young adults between 18-25 years (21.8 ± 1.8 years) were randomly assigned to a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise (AE) intervention (n=43) or a control group (n=36). Participants with a Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI)-score of >10 were included in the study. Cortisol, objective habitual physical activity (ActiHeart®) and screen time were measured at baseline and after the 12-week intervention. The intervention consisted of three 60-minute exercise sessions per week. Descriptive statistics and independent T-tests determined statistically significant changes in the outcome variables of the control group compared to the AE group. RESULTS: The average BDI-score at baseline was 20.95 ± 8.35 points. Cortisol concentrations were 459.7 ± 166.58 nmol/L while engaging in 90.94 ± 86.91 min/week of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and 3151± 2982 min/week screen time. BDI (t52 = -5.45, p=0.027; d=0.7) and screen time (t52 = -608.35, p=0.005; d=0.6) decreased significantly from pre- to post-intervention in the exercise group compared to the control group. None of the other variables reported significant changes. CONCLUSION: Twelve weeks of a supervised aerobic exercise intervention significantly decreased depressive symptoms and screen time in young adults. Exercise as a first-line treatment should be considered to prevent detrimental effects of early pharmacological interventions on health outcomes. References: 1. Moreno-Agostino D, Wu YT, Daskalopoulou C, Hasan MT, Huisman M, Prina M. Global trends in the prevalence and incidence of depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Vol. 281, J Affect Disord. 2021. 2. Gómez-Gómez I, Motrico E, Moreno-Peral P, Rigabert A, Conejo-Cerón S, Ortega-Calvo M, et al. Effectiveness of complex multiple-risk lifestyle interventions in reducing symptoms of depression: A study protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Vol. 9, BMJ Open. 2019. 3. Imboden C, Gerber M, Beck J, Holsboer-Trachsler E, Pühse U, Hatzinger M. Aerobic exercise or stretching as add-on to inpatient treatment of depression: Similar antidepressant effects on depressive symptoms and larger effects on working memory for aerobic exercise alone. J Affect Disord. 2020.
Read CV Lizaan EnslinECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH19
322 million people worldwide have reported feeling depressed according to the World Health Organization. Recently, we reported that exercise habits may prevent depressive-like behavior via gut microbiota and short chain fatty acids in mice. In this study, we examined whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from mice with voluntary wheel running could prevent depressive-like behavior in social defeat stress (SDS) mice. Donor mice (C57BL/6, 4week, male) were treated with voluntary wheel running (WR) and sedentary control (C) for 10 weeks. Recipient mice (C57BL/6, 4week, male) were divided into two groups, the CTP and WRTP. The recipient mice were administered an antibiotic solution for 7 days, and then FMT was performed. The CTP group received the transplanted mouse stool from the C donor group and the WRTP group from the WR donor group once a week for a total of 3 weeks, respectively. After the FMT, the recipient mice were loaded with SDS for 10 days. These SDS treated mice were then subjected to physical interactions with ICR mice for 5 min, and then the mice were housed on the opposite side of a stress cage for 24-h. After that depressive-like behavior in recipient mice was measured using the sucrose preference and the social interaction tests. After these behavioral tests, the mRNA expression of the Bdnf, Tnf-α, 5-ht 1a and Fndc5 in the brains and the fecal microbiota of recipient mice were analyzed. The sucrose preference test, no significant different between the CTP and WRTP groups was found. However, the social interaction test scores of the WRTP group were significantly lower than that of the CTP group. The Bdnf, Tnf-α, 5-ht 1a and Fndc5 expressions in the hippocampus of the recipient mice showed no difference between the CTP and WRTP groups. The FMT altered the β-diversity from the recipient mice. In the WRTP group, several f_Lachnospiraceae were decreased compared to the CTP group. A correlation between the decrease in Lachnospiraceae and the decrease in the social score was shown. Furthermore, a positive correlation between the Ruminococcus and the 5-ht 1a expression in hippocampus was observed. Associations between Lachnospiraceae and depression or mental disorders were reported. Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcus had lower relative abundance in the WRTP group. We previously reported that an increase in Lachnospiraceae was observed in exercised mice exposed to SDS. Accordingly, the reason that WRTP did not prevent SDS-induced depressive-like behavior might be because the running wheels were not set up in their cages after the mice were exposed to SDS. On the other hand, recent studies reported direct or indirect results showing the preventive depressive-like behavioral effects of exercise. Protective depression may require not only changes in gut microbiota but also regular exercise. Our results suggested that the FMT from donor mice with wheel running exercise habits might not protect SDS-induced depressive-like behavior.
Read CV Chihiro WatanabeECSS Paris 2023: CP-SH19