Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32764576›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2020

Faster visual reaction times in elite athletes are not linked to better gaze stability.

Brendan T Barrett, Alice G Cruickshank, Jonathan C Flavell, Simon J Bennett, John G Buckley, Julie M Harris, Andrew J Scally

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Studies of Vision in Cricket-A Narrative Review.Vision (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023
    Review
  6. Visual skills essential for rugby.Medical hypothesis, discovery & innovation ophthalmology journal · 2023
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Brendan T BarrettSchool of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, West Yorkshire, UK. b.t.barrett@bradford.ac.uk.
Alice G CruickshankSchool of Optometry and Vision Science, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, West Yorkshire, UK.
Jonathan C FlavellDepartment of Psychology, University of York, York, YO10 5DD, North Yorkshire, UK.
Simon J BennettSchool of Sport and Exercise Science, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.
John G BuckleyDepartment of Biomedical and Electronics Engineering, University of Bradford, Bradford, BD7 1DP, West Yorkshire, UK.
Julie M HarrisSchool of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK.
Andrew J ScallySchool of Clinical Therapies, University College Cork, College Road, Cork, T12 K8AF, Republic of Ireland.

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/J018163/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/J018872/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The issue of whether visually-mediated, simple reaction time (VRT) is faster in elite athletes is contentious. Here, we examined if and how VRT is affected by gaze stability in groups of international cricketers (16 females, 28 males), professional rugby-league players (21 males), and non-sporting controls (20 females, 30 males). VRT was recorded via a button-press response to the sudden appearance of a stimulus (circular target-diameter 0.8°), that was presented centrally, or 7.5° to the left or right of fixation. The incidence and timing of saccades and blinks occurring from 450 ms before stimulus onset to 225 ms after onset were measured to quantify gaze stability. Our results show that (1) cricketers have faster VRT than controls; (2) blinks and, in particular, saccades are associated with slower VRT regardless of the level of sporting ability; (3) elite female cricketers had steadier gaze (fewer saccades and blinks) compared to female controls; (4) when we accounted for the presence of blinks and saccades, our group comparisons of VRT were virtually unchanged. The stability of gaze is not a factor that explains the difference between elite and control groups in VRT. Thus we conclude that better gaze stability cannot explain faster VRT in elite sports players.

Indexed as

AthletesFixation, OcularReaction TimeBlinkingFemaleHumansMaleSaccadesVision, OcularYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID32764576
PMCPMC7413367

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.