# Task-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Balance–Cognitive Dual Tasks in Ice Hockey Players: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

“Task-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Balance–Cognitive Dual Tasks in Ice Hockey Players: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy” (2026), by Weikai Wang et al. Psychology research paper. Original abstract below, unchanged. A free PDF is available.

- Authors: Weikai Wang, Zijun Yu, Chenchen Jia, Jiajia Yan, Zihan Song, Wenya Liu, Xin Qi, Fengyu Wu
- Published: November 5, 2026
- Field: Psychology
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-11283030/v1
- Free PDF: https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-11283030/latest.pdf

## Abstract

This study compared prefrontal activation in ice hockey players and non-athlete adults during balance and cognitive dual-task conditions and examined its relationship with balance performance. Seventeen male ice hockey players and 17 age-matched healthy controls completed five randomized tasks: static and dynamic balance single tasks, a cognitive single task, and static and dynamic balance–cognitive dual tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO), while balance indices and cognitive performance were recorded. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Pearson correlations were conducted. Players showed superior balance performance across balance tasks (P < 0.05), whereas cognitive performance did not differ (P > 0.05). A significant group × task interaction was found for left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex HbO changes (F = 5.303, P = 0.002, q = 0.022, η²p = 0.142). Compared with controls, players showed greater HbO changes during the static dual task but lower changes during the dynamic dual task. During the dynamic dual task, DLPFC-L HbO changes correlated positively with balance indices in players (r = 0.721, P = 0.001) and controls (r = 0.674, P = 0.003). Ice hockey players may achieve better balance through task-dependent, efficient prefrontal resource allocation.

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