Task-Dependent Prefrontal Cortex Activation During Balance–Cognitive Dual Tasks in Ice Hockey Players: Evidence From Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

This study compared prefrontal activation in ice hockey players and non-athlete adults during balance and cognitive dual-task conditions and examined its relationship with balance performance. Seventeen male ice hockey players and 17 age-matched healthy controls completed five randomized tasks: static and dynamic balance single tasks, a cognitive single task, and static and dynamic balance–cognitive dual tasks. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy measured prefrontal oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO), while balance indices and cognitive performance were recorded. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and Pearson correlations were conducted. Players showed superior balance performance across balance tasks (P < 0.05), whereas cognitive performance did not differ (P > 0.05). A significant group × task interaction was found for left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex HbO changes (F = 5.303, P = 0.002, q = 0.022, η²p = 0.142). Compared with controls, players showed greater HbO changes during the static dual task but lower changes during the dynamic dual task. During the dynamic dual task, DLPFC-L HbO changes correlated positively with balance indices in players (r = 0.721, P = 0.001) and controls (r = 0.674, P = 0.003). Ice hockey players may achieve better balance through task-dependent, efficient prefrontal resource allocation.