Work

Early neuromuscular and cognitive signatures in high-performance young male Muay Thai athletes

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Understanding developmental changes in neuromuscular and cognitive function is essential for evidence-based talent identification in striking sports. This study investigated age-related anthropometric, maturational, neuromuscular and cognitive characteristics in 215 high-performance young male Muay Thai athletes aged 8–18 years using a multivariate approach. Athletes completed a five-day evaluation including biological maturation profiling, anthropometry, training and competition history, computerized cognitive assessment and upper- and lower-limb neuromuscular testing. One-way ANOVA and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed distinct developmental patterns across the four age groups. Anthropometric characteristics, maturity status, maximal strength and several cognitive measures improved significantly with age (all p < 0.05), whereas limb asymmetry, fatigue indices, Nordic hamstring exercise performance, lower-limb dynamic strength index and upper-limb push-up force showed no age-related differences. Exploratory PCA demonstrated excellent factorability (KMO = 0.89–0.95; Bartlett's χ 2 = 2008.74–5231.22, all p < 0.001). Across the entire cohort, neuromuscular performance was represented by a single strength-related component explaining 48.31% of the variance, whereas cognitive performance comprised two components explaining 76.29% of the cumulative variance. Age-specific exploratory PCA indicated differences in multidimensional neuromuscular and cognitive performance profiles across age groups. Collectively, these findings indicate age-associated differences in neuromuscular and cognitive performance profiles among young male Muay Thai athletes.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-73959-w