Author(s): DI SILVESTRO, R., BRUNO, S., TRAMONTI FANTOZZI, M.P., DI GALANTE, M., CRUZ-SANABRIA, F., CECCANTI, S., FRANZONI, F., FARAGUNA, U., Institution: UNIVERSITY OF VERONA - UNIVERSITY OF PISA , Country: ITALY, Abstract-ID: 1716

INTRODUCTION:
A large body of evidence showed that sleep facilitates motor memory consolidation, a crucial factor in athletic performance. However, the role of sleep in learning fine motor patterns within the context of E-Sports remains underexplored. The aim of this study is to investigate how sleep modulates motor learning in a specific video game task.
METHODS:
Four participants (age 22±1.87) underwent a randomized counterbalanced experimental protocol, composed by two training sessions: a sleep condition (nap) and a control condition (passive wakefulness). The motor task involved performing 20 free kicks (10 right side, 10 left side of the pitch) on the video game eFootball™ app using a tablet, executed before and after the rest/control period. Participants were monitored with electroencephalography (EEG) during the sessions. Moreover, all subjects continuously wore an actigraph for the entire week preceding each session.
RESULTS:
A preliminary analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between the duration of N2 sleep stage and performance improvement (r = 0.67, p < 0.01). Furthermore, the amplitude and intensity of sleep spindles, particularly in the frontal region, showed a strong correlation with the performance improvement (r = 0.68, p < 0.01).
CONCLUSION:
The results suggest that N2 sleep and specific frontal spindle characteristics (amplitude and intensity) might positively influence motor patterns' consolidation in E-Sports. If confirmed in a larger sample, this data suggests that optimal sleep management could represent a key strategy for maximizing the competitive performance of e-athletes.