Distinct patterns of cognitive enhancement: The role of motor experience in domain-specific and general cognitive functions

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of motor experience on domain-specific anticipatory skills and domain-general cognitive functions in table tennis players across different expertise levels. Participants were divided into control, expert, and elite groups and assessed using a modified Posner paradigm and a go/no-go task, combined with electroencephalography and multivariate pattern analysis. Accuracy and reaction times were measured under varying task difficulties. The results indicated that elite athletes exhibited superior accuracy, especially in challenging conditions, reflecting their advanced cognitive performance. Electroencephalography analysis revealed a non-linear relationship between motor experience and the mu rhythm, suggesting that elite athletes use more efficient neural processing during anticipation. Conversely, P3 amplitude, related to domain-general cognitive functions, showed a linear improvement, with experts outperforming controls. However, this improvement plateaued at the elite level. Overall, the findings indicate that motor expertise enhances both domain-specific and domain-general cognitive functions through distinct neural adaptation patterns, underscoring the specialized cognitive strategies of elite athletes.