Previously Brown and Jamieson found that increased Mu rhythm (10-12Hz) localised at right BA6/BA13 differentiates elite from amateur table tennis players while viewing an elite opposing player. These cortical regions include nodes in both the dorsal attention network (identifying ‘where’ an object is in space relative to one’s body) and in the ventral attention network (identifying and selecting salient sensory information). These results suggest engagement of a timing mechanism by elite table tennis players regulating alpha oscillations relative to incoming stimuli, allowing for optimal efficiency in selecting salient information and, importantly, inhibiting irrelevant information.
Similar to the use of QEEG to develop clinical NFB protocols, this EEG signature of elite players determined performance enhancement NFB protocols. Consequently, 21 aspiring elite table tennis players, over two European national training camps, underwent 15 x 30 minute sLoreta NFB sessions training to increase upper alpha in right BA6/BA13 while viewing elite players. Post NFB source analysis of EEG viewing an elite player from a player’s perspective, improvements in accuracy to NoGo visual-spatial trials, faster Attentional Network Task reaction times and self-reported attentional flexibility all point to more efficient processing within the targeted functional networks.