Evaluation of Orexin-A Salivary Levels and its Correlation with Attention After Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Female Volleyball Players

Fiorenzo Moscatelli; Antonietta Monda; Antonietta Messina; Marcellino Monda; Vincenzo Monda; Ines Villano; Antonella De Maria; Mancini Nicola; Gabriella Marsala; Maria Ida de Stefano; Pierpaolo Limone; Giovanni Messina; Rita Polito

doi:10.1186/s40798-024-00698-5

Evaluation of Orexin-A Salivary Levels and its Correlation with Attention After Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Female Volleyball Players

Sports Med Open. 2024 Apr 4;10(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s40798-024-00698-5.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Wellbeing, Nutrition and Sport, Pegaso Telematic University, Naples, Italy.
² Department of Human Science and Quality of Life Promotion, San Raffaele Telematic University, Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetics and Sports Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
⁴ Department of Movement Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Naples "Parthenope", Naples, Italy.
⁵ Faculty of Physical Education and Sports, "Babes Bolyai" University, Cluj-Napoca, Italy.
⁶ Drug's Department, ASP Catania, Catania, Italy.
⁷ Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy.
⁸ Department of Psychology and Education, Pegaso Telematic University, Naples, Italy.
⁹ Department of Human Science and Quality of Life Promotion, San Raffaele Telematic University, Rome, Italy. giovanni.messina@unifg.it.
¹⁰ Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Human Physiology and Unit of Dietetics and Sports Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy. giovanni.messina@unifg.it.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The capacity to change attention from one area to another depending on the many environmental circumstances present is a crucial aspect of selective attention and is strictly correlated to reaction time. The cholinergic system of the basal forebrain is crucial for attentive abilities. Several inputs, particularly orexin neurons, whose cell bodies are found in the postero-lateral hypothalamus, can activate the cholinergic system. The aim of this study was to investigate if high frequencies rTMS at dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in highly trained volleyball players can change Orexin-A levels, attention and reaction time. This study was a double-blinded (participant and evaluator) matched-pair experimental design. Twenty right-handed female volleyball players were recruited for the study (age 24.6 ± 2.7 years; height 177.0 ± 5.5 cm; body mass 67.5 ± 6.5 kg; BMI 21.5 ± 1.2).

Results: The main finding of this study was that 10 Hz rTMS to the DLPFC seems to increase Orexin-A salivary levels and the percentage of correct answers, while decreasing RT. After rTMS, the athletes show an increase in the percentage of correct answers immediately after the end of stimulation, and also after 15 and 30 min. Moreover, the athletes show decreases in reaction time after the end of stimulation and after 15 and 30 min to the end of stimulation, while no differences were found at the end of stimulation. Finally, the athletes show significant increases in Orexin-A salivary levels after stimulation with a peak after 30' of the end.

Conclusion: The results of our study seem to indicate that there is a relationship between salivary Orexin-A levels and RT. These results could provide useful tools for modulating sports training; in fact, if confirmed, they could lead coaches to offer their athletes rTMS sessions appropriately integrated with training. In fact, alternating attention is a mental flexibility that enables people to change their point of focus and switch between tasks requiring various levels of cognition.

Keywords: Athletes; Attention; Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS); Performances; Salivary orexin-A; Sport; Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).