Traditional Martial Arts and Shooting Training Have Different Effects on Auditory Fine Structure Processing Ability - Evidence from Behavioral Tests and fMRI

In this work, we explore the influence of traditional martial arts and shooting training on the ability of auditory Temporal Fine Structure (TFS) processing. Twenty-five college students participated in the experiment, including 8 traditional martial arts practitioners, 8 high-level shooting athletes, and 9 control groups without any regular exercise habits. The BIC (break in interaural correlation) delay threshold and TFS1 test were used to evaluate the transient storage capacity and sensitivity of TFS, respectively. An fMRI test was performed after the behavioral tests. The results found that the traditional martial arts group had stronger TFS sensitivity, while the shooting group had stronger TFS storage capacity and the performance of the behavioral tests of the shooting group is related to the fALFF value of the brain areas of interest. The effects of exercise training on hearing ability may have a specific neural basis and can be used for early intervention in potential hearing impairment.