The purpose was to investigate differences in cortical activation during air-pistol shooting between elite shooters with and without spinal cord injury. 22 non-disabled and 12 disabled members of national air-pistol shooting teams participated in the study. The participants completed 20 self-paced 10-m air pistol shots. Analysis reveals that athletes with disability exhibited greater attentional demand during the aiming period, which is typically observed in patients with spinal cord injury during visuomotor performance, whereas brain regions responsible for visual-spatial processing seemed to be similar to those of athletes without disability. Constant and deliberate practice of this visuomotor skill may result in recovery of cortical activity. These findings are consistent with the concepts of cortical economy in elite athletes and neural plasticity in individuals with spinal cord injury.
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