Neurocognitive effect of emotions in imagery with esport: implications for cognitive rehabilitation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v83.113852Keywords:
Cognitive rehabilitation, e-sports, emotions, imagery, sedentary behaviorAbstract
Introduction: Psychology plays a fundamental role in healthcare, ranging from promoting healthy habits to palliative care, including prevention, optimizing sports performance, and cognitive rehabilitation. Sedentary behavior, a critical risk factor, negatively impacts physical and mental health, as well as emotional and athletic performance. This phenomenon is particularly relevant among virtual sports practitioners (esports), whose low physical activity limits their professional development.
Objective: This study explored the neurocognitive effect of emotions through imagery techniques applied to esports, evaluating its contribution to cognitive rehabilitation and athletic performance.
Methodology: A quasi-experimental and correlational design was used with two groups:
Group 1: 6 older adults (60+ years) with mild cognitive impairment.
Group 2: 6 young athletes (18-35 years).
The instruments used included: Semi-structured interviews, STAI Test, POMS, BENI and MEC.
Results: Key findings showed: Significant reduction in anxiety and fatigue, improved vigor/activation (especially in older adults) and moderate correlation between imagery and emotional regulation.
Discussion: These findings, evidenced by the T-test applied to pre- and post-test results, show a significance value (p) of 0.019 for the total neuropsychological outcomes. Similarly, the Fatigue and Inertia factors present p-values close to 0.1.
Conclusions: Imagery combined with esports proved to be a promising tool for cognitive rehabilitation and emotional regulation, although with heterogeneous effects.
References
Abuhamdeh, S. (2020). Investigating the “flow” experience: Key conceptual and operational issues. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 158. Recuperado de https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00158.
American Psychological Association. (2016, March 1). Positive feedback. Monitor on Psychology, 47(3). Recuperado de https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/cover-feedback.
Barrera Valencia, M. A., & Calderón Delgado, L. (2011). Rehabilitación de las funciones ejecutivas. Revista CES Psicología, 1(1), 36–49.
Bertone, M. S., Loskin, U. E., Sandoval-Obando, E., & Acosta, M. (2020). Mecanismos Neurocognitivos de la motivación en el entrenamiento físico. Revista de Investigación e Innovación en Ciencias de la Salud, 2(1), 2665-2056. https://doi.org/10.46634/riics.44
Blázquez Alisente, J. L., Ríos Lago, M., Paúl Lapedriza, N., González Rodríguez, B., & Muñoz Céspedes, J. M. (2004). Tratamiento neuropsicológico del control de impulsos en lesión frontal traumática: un estudio de caso. Acción Psicológica, 3(3), 225-244. Recuperado de https://doi.org/10.1234/accionpsicologica.2004.003.
Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review, 3, 149-210.
Correa-Pérez, L. F., Ramirez-Macías, M. C., & Restrepo-Segura, Y. C. (2023). Aportes de la rehabilitación cognitiva en los procesos de reinserción social y familiar en el tratamiento de las adicciones. Health and Addictions/Salud y Drogas.
Cremades, G. J. (2016). Electro-cortical measures during visual and kinesthetic imagery performance following visual- and auditory-guided instructions. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 14(4), 369-382. Recuperado de https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2015.1065286.
De la Vega, R. (2003). Factores psicológicos que influyen en el alto rendimiento deportivo. Madrid: CV Ciencias del Deporte.
De la Vega, R., Galán, A., Ruiz, R., & Tejero, C. (2013). Estado de ánimo precompetitivo y rendimiento percibido en Boccia Paralímpica. Revista de Psicología del Deporte, 22(1), 39-45.
Dingfelder, S. F. (2008, July 1). Keeping athletes on track: Mind games. Monitor on Psychology, 39(7). Recuperado de https://www.apa.org/monitor/2008/07-08/eeg.
Frías-Torres, C., Moreno-España, J., Ortega, L. M., Barrio, P. D., Gual, A., & López, L. (2016). Terapia de rehabilitación cognitiva en pacientes con trastorno por consumo de alcohol y trastorno neurocognitivo. Estudio piloto. Adicciones, 30, 93-100.
García-Naveira, A., León Zarceño, E., & González García, C. (2021). Psicología y gamers profesionales en esports: Análisis temático y agenda de investigación. Revista Interamericana de Psicología/Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 55(1). Recuperado de https://doi.org/10.30849/ripijp.v55i1.1342.
Pérez-Fabello, M. J., & Campos, A. (2004). Factor structure and internal consistency of the Spanish version of the Gordon Test of Visual Imagery Control. Psychological Reports, 94(3), 761-766.
Hoang, D. T. (2016). Reseña del libro: Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. FIRE: Foro de Investigación Internacional en Educación, 3(1), 85-XX.
Kolyaış, H., & Çelik, N. (2017). Examination of motivation, anxiety and imagery levels of footballers from different leagues. Revista de Psicología del Deporte, 26(Suppl 3), 23-27.
Kosslyn, S. M., Ganis, G., & Thompson, W. L. (2001). Neural foundations of imagery. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2, 635-642.
Lazarus, R. S. (2000). How emotions influence performance in competitive sports. The Sport Psychologist, 14(3), 229-252.
Loubat, M., & Astudillo-Zúñiga, A. (2019). Revisión sistemática (2010-2017) de los instrumentos de evaluación y programas de rehabilitación de la cognición social utilizados con personas con esquizofrenia.
McCarthy, P. J., Allen, M. S., & Jones, M. V. (2013). Emotions, cognitive interference, and concentration disruption in youth sport. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(5), 505-515.
Mendoza Rivas, L., & Martínez Cruz, L. (2022). Revisión de ensayos clínicos sobre la eficacia de la rehabilitación cognitiva en pacientes con lesión cerebral traumática. Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation / Rehabilitacion Interdisciplinaria.
Portellano, J. A. (2005). Introducción a la Neuropsicología. In J. M. Cejudo (Ed.), McGraw-Hill/Interamericana de España.
Suero, S. F., Torres, B. J., & Buñuel, P. S. (2019). Necesidades psicológicas, motivación e inteligencia emocional en Educación Física. Revista Electrónica Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 22, 167-186.
Zahr, N. M., & Pfefferbaum, A. (2017). Alcohol's effects on the brain: Neuroimaging results in humans and animal models. Alcohol Research, 38(2), 183-206. Recuperado de https://doi.org/10.35946/restroi.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Francisco Jesús de León-Ojo, Iván Bonilla
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and ensure the magazine the right to be the first publication of the work as licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of authorship of the work and the initial publication in this magazine.
- Authors can establish separate additional agreements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in the journal (eg, to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Is allowed and authors are encouraged to disseminate their work electronically (eg, in institutional repositories or on their own website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as to a subpoena more Early and more of published work (See The Effect of Open Access) (in English).
This journal provides immediate open access to its content (BOAI, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/boaifaq.htm#openaccess) on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. The authors may download the papers from the journal website, or will be provided with the PDF version of the article via e-mail.
