Neuropsychological Assessment in Orienteers: Implications for Sports Performance and Cognitive Health

Abstract

Orienteering integrates physical (i.e., running) and cognitive (i.e., navigation) demands, making it a dual-task activity with potential neuroplasticity benefits for cognition. Standard neuropsychological assessment may inform athletes and coaches about the cognitive functions to be targeted in brain exercise training for high-performance competition. Moreover, orienteering may improve brain function in those with cognitive impairment in specific domains. This study aimed to identify the predominant cognitive functioning developed in experienced orienteers to inform cognitive training and rehabilitation. Memory, attention, and executive functions (EF) were assessed using a battery of seven neuropsychological tests. The orienteer’s neuropsychological profiles (N = 20) were compared with road runners (N = 20) matched for regular physical training to distinguish the cognitive skills developed through dual-task orienteering practice. Cognitive performances were also compared to normative samples using Z-score (CI 95%) analysis. Orienteers demonstrated above-normative levels in four EF tests (mean Z between 0.5–0.7; 0.2–1.2 CI 95%), sustained attention (mean Z: 0.6; 0.2–0.9 CI 95%), and recognition memory (mean Z: 1.09; 0.7–1.5 CI 95%). This approach shows that the above-norm cognitive skills of orienteers may still be improved for high-performance competition. Orienteers outperformed road runners in visual fluency and spatial working memory (Five-Point test (t (2.039), p =.049, d = 0.6) and Corsi Block test (forward [t (2.842), p= (0.046), d = 0.9] and backward [t (2.066), p = .007, d = 0.7]). These findings suggest that orienteering develops specific EF brain networks in healthy individuals which promises to be an efficient practice for cognitive training or rehabilitation.