Motor Imagery, Hand Mental Rotation, and Performance in Female Volleyball Players

December 19, 2025 updated by: Ayse Yazgan, Medipol University

Motor Imagery Ability, Hand Mental Rotation and Performance Outcomes in Female Volleyball Players: A Comparative Cross-sectional Study

This comparative cross-sectional study investigates the relationship between motor imagery (MI) ability, hand mental rotation (HMR), and performance outcomes in female volleyball players. Volleyball is a high-speed, cognitively demanding sport requiring precise motor coordination, rapid decision-making, and explosive movements. MI-the mental simulation of movement-and HMR-the cognitive manipulation of hand orientation-are critical for motor planning and execution. The study has two primary objectives: (1) to compare MI ability and HMR performance between female volleyball players and sedentary controls, and (2) to evaluate associations between MI/HMR scores and reaction time as well as vertical jump performance among volleyball players. The investigators hypothesize that volleyball players will exhibit superior MI and HMR abilities compared to controls, and that higher MI and HMR scores will correlate with faster reaction times and greater vertical jump height. Findings from this study will elucidate the cognitive-motor mechanisms underlying athletic performance and may inform training strategies to enhance neuromotor efficiency in sport-specific contexts.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
52

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Beykoz
      • Istanbul, Beykoz, Turkey (Türkiye), 34158
        • Istanbul Medipol University
    • Istanbul
      • Bakırköy, Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye), 34158
        • Ayşe Yazgan

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

N/A

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of licensed female volleyball players competing in regional leagues and healthy female adults with no history of professional sports participation.

Description

Inclusion Criteria: Volleyball Group

  • Female participants aged 18-25 years
  • Licensed professional volleyball players competing in national or regional leagues
  • Currently playing an official main or secondary position
  • Minimum of 5 years of professional volleyball experience
  • Actively competing in volleyball for at least 1 year
  • Training more than 10 hours per week
  • No injury in the past 6 months that prevented participation in training or matches
  • Ability and willingness to participate voluntarily
  • Provided written informed consent

Inclusion Criteria: Control Group

  • Female participants aged 18-25 years
  • No history of participation in professional or recreational overhead sports
  • No lower extremity injury within the past 6 months
  • Less than 1 hour per week of structured exercise within the past 6 months
  • No previous licensed sports participation
  • Provided written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria (Applied to Both Groups)

  • Neurological, orthopedic, or systemic diseases
  • History of lower extremity injury in the past 6 months
  • Any pain, pathology, or instability affecting the upper or lower extremities
  • Regular medication use
  • Visual or hearing impairments
  • Diagnosed cognitive or attention disorders

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Female Volleyball Players
Female athletes currently participating in competitive volleyball; no intervention applied.
Controls Group
Female individuals not engaged in regular physical activity; no intervention applied.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mental Chronometry Test
Time Frame: Baseline (single assessment during the initial study visit)
Mental chronometry ratio calculated as |Actual Time - Imagined Time| / Actual Time, measured during five actual vertical jumps and five imagined vertical jumps. Lower values indicate better motor imagery performance. Time measured in seconds using a stopwatch; ratio is unitless.
Baseline (single assessment during the initial study visit)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hand Mental Rotation Task
Time Frame: Baseline
Mean response time (milliseconds) for left/right hand discrimination tasks in the Orientate® application. Lower values indicate faster cognitive processing related to mental rotation.
Baseline
Reaction Time (ms)
Time Frame: Baseline
Mean reaction time across three trials measured using the BlazePod® wireless LED sensor system. Participants respond to visual stimuli with their dominant hand. Lower values indicate better reaction performance.
Baseline
Vertical Jump Height (cm)
Time Frame: Baseline
Mean jump height calculated from three countermovement jumps recorded and analyzed using the My Jump 2 smartphone application. Higher values indicate better lower-limb explosive performance.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Medipol University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Ayşe Yazgan, Medipol University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 10, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 25, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 10, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 25, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 25, 2025

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 8, 2025

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
December 26, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 19, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • MedipolU-OP-AY-03

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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