cognitive performance

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 virus is viewed as one of the defining crises of the current era, with various adverse ramifications for sports performance. Aim: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of aerobic exercise and caffeine supplementation on the cognitive performance and balance of college student-athletes recovered from COVID-19. Materials and Methods: Forty male student-athletes aged between 18 to 25 years from the Imam Khomeini International University of Qazvin were randomly assigned to four groups: 1. exercise + caffeine supplementation, 2. aerobic exercise + placebo, 3. aerobic exercise, and 4. control, in a pre-test post-test design. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of data distribution and covariance analysis was used for inter-group comparison. Results : The ANCOVA analysis showed significant differences in cognitive performance and balance among the four groups ( P <0.05). Pairwise comparisons using the Bonferroni post-hoc test showed statistically significant differences in cognitive performance and balance between the aerobic exercise + caffeine group versus the aerobic exercise + placebo group (P<0.05) and the aerobic exercise versus the control group ( P <0.05). Also, there was significant differences in mean cognitive performance and balance indices between AE+CAF versus CONT ( P <0.005) and AE+CAF versus AE ( P <0.005). Conclusion: The results of this study show that aerobic exercise with caffeine supplementation can improve cognitive performance and balance of student-athletes recovered from COVID-19.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the impact of rumination on both cognitive and sports performance, with sleep quality serving as a mediating factor.Methods: The research was practical in purpose and employed a structural equation correlation design, conducted in a field setting. The statistical population consisted of all student athletes who participated in the table tennis tournaments in Khorasan in 2022, totaling 97 individuals. Sampling was performed using a census method, with 80 participants consenting to engage in the study. Data were collected using the rumination questionnaires developed by Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow (1991), a sports performance scale by Charbonneau et al. (2001), a cognitive performance assessment by Folstein et al. (1975), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (1989). For data analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient and path analysis modeling were utilized. Results: The findings indicated that rumination has a direct influence on both cognitive and sports performance (P=0.01). Furthermore, rumination significantly affects these performances indirectly through the mediation of sleep quality (P=0.01) among student athletes. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, rumination is correlated with cognitive and sports performance both directly and indirectly via sleep quality. It is recommended to engage a sports psychologist to conduct educational workshops on rumination management and to monitor and regulate the sleep patterns of student athletes.