Neuroscience for Sports

The Pallanti Method

A Revolution in Clinical Neuroscience

The activities of the Istituto di Neuroscienze are organized following the "Pallanti Method", an innovative and revolutionary project in the field of clinical neuroscience that combines a wide range of multidisciplinary and multimodal therapeutic skills, with the aim of addressing and overcoming the individual and collective needs of those who come to our center.

The Pallanti Method embodies a new paradigm, a new way of doing Science, by focusing on the person in all his or her everyday multifacetedness that includes the work domain, interpersonal relationships, and life perspectives. This approach strives to balance the respect for the individuality of the person with the application of the most advanced and scientifically proven techniques and therapies designed to improve performance, increase energy, accelerate functional recovery, and prevent injury.

The Scientific Bases of the Pallanti Method ― Neuromodulation Therapy

One of the fundamental pillars of the Pallanti Method is Neuromodulation Therapy: a group of diagnostic and therapeutic techniques that employ physical, magnetic, electrical and light stimuli to promote Neurogenesis, i.e. the process of forming new neurons. In some cases, such stimuli are also able to trigger an anti-inflammatory and healing reaction of the supporting glial cells, thus helping to enhance neuroplasticity. This means promoting the replication of neurons and the creation of new connections (synapses) between them.

The Processes Underlying Neuromodulation Therapy ― Neuroplasticity

The notion of Neuroplasticity ― introduced thanks to the contributions of eminent scientists such as Rita Levi Montalcini (awarded with the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the Nerve Growth Factor), Eric Kandel, Arvid Carlsson and Paul Greengard (awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine) ― reveals the extraordinary ability of the human brain to change its structure and functioning over the course of a lifetime, allowing brain cells to differentiate and replicate, paving the way for constant brain remodeling.

Neuroplasticity represents the key to understanding the brain's remarkable ability to adapt and evolve over the entire life span, allowing the constant formation of new neurons and the creation of ever-evolving synaptic connections.

The Pallanti Method applies the latest Neuroscientific Evidence to successfully interpret disorders and address them in innovative ways, especially when first-line treatments are ineffective.

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Sports gestures originate in the brain

The art of movement guided by the brain

When we see the magnificent gesture of an athlete, echoes of the Homeric heroes of divine agility flash back in our minds: the "brilliant swift-footed Achilles” and the hand of Diomedes hurling the javelin. When narrating the Homeric hero's extraordinary athletic feats, it seems that the originator of such acts is not himself, but a Divinity that protects and moves him so that his destiny of glory can be fulfilled.

The everyday expressions that we use, such as " soccer players with good feet", reflect metaphors rooted in ancient mythology that persist in our subconscious. It takes an effort of rationality to understand that these wonderful athletic gestures are not the result of fate or divinity, but emerge from an extraordinary and extremely rapid concatenation of neural events happening in the brains of sporting champions.

It is essential to understand that athletic gestures do NOT arise from leg speed or sleight of hand, but rather from the athletes' brains and their neural connections. The talent of top athletes, therefore, is not only the result of innate abilities, but also and more importantly of continuous meticulous training and a series of conditionings that refine the brain's connectivity by improving its synchrony and harmony over time, eventually resulting in the expression of very effective athletic gestures that are also generally very beautiful to watch. This synergy between mind and body is the core of exceptional athletic gestures.

Athletic gestures, then, originate in the brain and in the quick sensations that converge there from the body in a lightning process of which we now know the involved brain circuits and muscular-tendinous structures. Neuroscience has shed light on these mechanisms and thus opened the way for the possibility of applying some of the methodologies used to treat behavioral disorders for the purpose of improving athletic performance as well. Using neuroscience knowledge and method, it then becomes possible to explore, track and refine each athletic gesture in order to achieve the best possible performance.

In this context, the application of Neuromodulation Techniques has the potential to improve the integration between mind and action, encouraging learning and information recall processes related to behavioral patterns, particular play schemes, or specific athletic gestures. This new frontier, known as Cognitive Fitness, is capable not only of improving sports performance but also of contributing to the prevention of risks possibly associated with intense physical activity.

NEUROSCIENCE FOR SPORTS

Training the brain for better performance: How neuroscience can improve sports performance

Sports and competitive performance represent a fertile area of investigation and intervention for the application of neuroscience.

At the Zucchi Wellness Clinic's Centro di Neuroscienze per la Salute, Dr. Stefano Pallanti and his team apply Neuromodulation Techniques to increase the brain's potential and facilitate the achievement of sports goals.

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Neuromodulation Techniques

Discover the therapies

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)

The different types of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) represent non-invasive and non-pharmacological therapies that use magnetic field to stimulate or inhibit specific brain areas, proving to be highly effective for the treatment of many disorders, including Resistant Depression and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

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Neurofeedback

At the Istituto di Neuroscienze, we use Neurofeedback to treat ADHD, Learning Disorders, Anxiety, Phobias, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but it is also used in sports or by agencies such as NASA to improve alertness and promote high-level performance.

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Transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS)

tDCS is a completely painless neuromodulation therapy that is particularly suitable for children because of the high degree of freedom of movement it allows, used in numerous treatment and rehabilitation settings.

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Photo-Bio-Modulation (PBM)

The latest technology for treating the Central Nervous System and particularly suitable for children, which uses increased cerebral blood flow to stimulate brain metabolism and promote neuroplasticity processes.

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Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

Non-invasive Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) activates the nerve that connects several neurophysiological pathways that regulate neuroinflammation processes, enabling the improvement of essential body functions.

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Light Therapy

Light Therapy uses exposure to bright light that can restore the balance between melatonin and serotonin through optic nerve stimulation, regularizing circadian sleep-wake rhythms, improving mood, appetite, and sleep quality.

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Energy & Performance

Optimized Energy and Performance thanks to Photo-Bio-Modulation

Photo-Bio-Modulation (PBM) is one of the latest innovations in the field of technologies currently available for the modulation of the Central Nervous System.

By using infrared light (NIR), Photo-Bio-Modulation is able to effectively penetrate the scalp areas where light stimulation is applied, increasing blood flow, as evidenced by MRI studies. In this way, thanks to Photo-Bio-Modulation, it is possible to be able to stimulate brain metabolism, modulating crucial biological functions, promoting neuroplasticity and reducing inflammation and oxidative stress through the modulation of endogenous opioids.

In addition, Photo-Bio-Modulation is shown to have a beneficial impact on damaged brain cells, especially on their mitochondria, i.e., intracellular subunits that release energy as adenosine triphosphate (ATP). The red light photons emitted by Photo-Bio-Modulation are able to penetrate the cells by stimulating the mitochondria to produce more ATP. Through this kind of stimulation, it is possible to experience beneficial effects of increased mental clarity and acuity and improved overall energy levels. As a result, faster healing of physical injuries, lesser effects of trauma and improved body energy efficiency can be observed.

The NIR light emitted by the Photo-Bio-Modulation device is also able to penetrate within cells ion channels, activating several signaling pathways, increasing the expression of transcription factors and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as well as increasing the expression of protective genes.

These multiple actions of Photo-Bio-Modulation seem to be able to invigorate different biological tissues, including skin and, in particular, nervous system tissues, improving their plasticity and overall energy and vitality.

Dr. Stefano Pallanti is a Physician-Neuroscientist, specialist in Psychiatry and PhD in Pathophysiology, Professor of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein School of Medicine (New York, USA) and Imperial College (London, UK). In addition, he is the Medical and Scientific Director of the Istituto di Neuroscienze (Florence, Italy).

Discover Dr. Pallanti's CV