Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40715994›Full record

Trial reportApplied psychophysiology and biofeedback2026

Impact of a Single Alpha Neurofeedback Session on Working and Visuospatial Memory in Football Players: A Comparison of Defenders and Attackers.

Hasan Belghadr, Faezeh Alipisheh, Masoud Esmaeilnejad, Hassan Gharayagh Zandi

Abstract readRandomized Controlled TrialComparative Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Applied psychophysiology and biofeedback, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

4 authors.

Hasan BelghadrDepartment of Behavioral and Cognitive Science in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Faezeh AlipishehDepartment of Behavioral Movement, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Allameh Tabatabai, Tehran, Iran. Faezeh.alipishe77@gmail.com.
Masoud EsmaeilnejadDepartment of Behavioral and Cognitive Science in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
Hassan Gharayagh ZandiDepartment of Behavioral and Cognitive Science in Sport, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Working memory (WM) and visuospatial memory (VSM) are pivotal for rapid decision-making and effective teamwork in football. This study investigated the effects of a single-session alpha neurofeedback training (NFT) protocol at Pz on WM and VSM in 48 male players (aged 18-28), with a detailed analysis focusing on playing position, including both defenders and attackers, who were randomly assigned to either the NFT (n = 24) or sham (n = 24) groups. The NFT group received a 25-min eyes-closed session to boost Peak Alpha Frequency (PAF) (7.5-12.5 Hz), while the sham group received non-contingent feedback. WM was assessed using an n-back task, and VSM was measured via a Football Memory Block-Tapping Test (FMBT). The NFT group showed significantly greater improvements in NCR-L1, NCR-L2 (WM), and FRS (VSM) than the sham group (p < 0.05), whereas no significant differences were found in RTs during the WM task or in BRS during the VSM task (p > 0.05). Moreover, defenders outperformed attackers on certain WM and VSM measures, potentially reflecting the distinct demands of their positions. These findings suggest that even a brief alpha NFT session may enhance certain cognitive functions in football players, providing a practical and time-efficient approach that may contribute to improvements in memory performance, with variations observed across different positional roles.

Indexed as

Alpha RhythmAthletic PerformanceMemory, Short-TermNeurofeedbackPsychomotor PerformanceSoccerSpatial MemoryAdolescentAdultAthletesHumansMaleYoung AdultAthletesMemoryNeurofeedbackPlaying positionsSoccerSports

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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 Socratic graph.