Motor system plasticity in blind athletes

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K12974
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Developmental mechanisms and the body works
• Research Institution: National Institute of Information and Communications Technology
• Principal Investigator: Tsuyoshi Ikegami 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 脳情報通信融合研究センター脳情報通信融合研究室, 研究員 (20588660)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 廣瀬 智士 国立研究開発法人情報通信研究機構, 脳情報通信融合研究センター脳情報通信融合研究室, 研究員 (70590058)
• Research Collaborator: Naito Eiichi ; Hirashima Masaya
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 障害者アスリート / 視覚障害 / 運動システム / 可塑性

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined a neural plasticity mechanism of the motor system of blind athletes. For this purpose, two types of experiments were performed: behavioral experiments in the absence of vision using locomotive movements (walking and running), and brain stimulation experiments using a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). First, the behavioral experiment revealed that blind athlete participants were superior to non-athlete (averaged) blind and sighted control participants. Next, the TMS experiment showed that TMS stimulations applied to the visual cortices more affected foot movements of the blind athlete participants compared with the other two group participants. These results imply that plenty of motor experiences after loss of vision could change the individual’s visual areas to get involved in action production, and this neural plasticity may support the blind athlete’s high motor performance.

Free Research Field

スポーツ科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

視覚障害者の運動能力に関しては，これまでは主に体力（筋力や心肺機能，五十嵐, 1993）に焦点が当てられてきたが，本研究は制御能力（動作の巧みさ）に着目している点が新しい．よって，本研究は，視覚障害者の身体教育法や，視覚障害者スポーツのトレーニング法の開発に示唆を与え，一般的な視覚障害者のQOL（生活の質）の向上に貢献する．