Virtual Reality in Sports Neuroscience And Performance: Neuroplasticity, Cognitive-Motor Training, and Immersive Sports Rehabilitation

Virtual Reality in Sports Neuroscience and Performance: Neuroplasticity, Cognitive-Motor Training, and Immersive Rehabilitation for Athletic Performance and Functional Recovery Virtual reality (VR) is transforming the way researchers, coaches, sports scientists, and rehabilitation professionals explore athletic performance, motor learning, and functional recovery. This book provides a comprehensive and critical examination of immersive technologies through the interconnected perspectives of sports neuroscience, neuroplasticity, cognitive-motor integration, and evidence-based practice. The book explores how virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality can support perceptual-cognitive training, skill acquisition, neuromuscular coordination, balance assessment, and sports rehabilitation. It examines the neural mechanisms underlying athletic movement, the role of sensory feedback in motor learning, and the potential of artificial intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, wearable sensors, and digital twins to enable adaptive training and performance monitoring. Going beyond technological possibilities, the book critically evaluates current research, highlighting methodological limitations, transfer of learning, measurement reliability, ethical considerations, data privacy, and the need for stronger empirical evidence. It also presents conceptual frameworks, applied case studies, research methodologies, and practical considerations for designing and evaluating immersive interventions. Written for postgraduate students, doctoral researchers, sports scientists, neuroscientists, physiotherapists, rehabilitation professionals, and coaches, this book bridges theoretical foundations and practical applications. It offers a valuable resource for understanding how immersive technologies may contribute to athletic development and functional recovery while distinguishing established findings from emerging possibilities and future research directions.