Tea-derived natural nanodrug simultaneously enables real-time fluorescent tracking and noninvasive treatment of neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease.

The most critical and meaningful aspect for athletes in competition is achieving peak performance during the event. Optimal performance is influenced by several key factors, including physical readiness (e.g., overcoming physical fatigue), competitive experience, and cognitive processes such as decision-making and anxiety regulation, as well as coping with psychological pressure, unpleasant emotions, and mental fatigue [, ]. Athletes are frequently confronted with numerous stressful situations throughout their training and competitive endeavors. During competitions, they may experience adverse feelings, including fear of failure, self-doubt, and anxiety related to interactions with their coach, while training sessions can induce exhaustion, fatigue, and concerns about injury. Therefore, the capability to cope with these stressors is a crucial factor in preventing diminished performance and potential failure []. Lazarus and Folkman (1984) defined coping as “the cognitive and behavioral efforts” used to manage specific external and internal demands []. Given the importance of psychological coping in athletic performance, cognitive processes are often an overlooked component of athletic preparation. Insufficient emphasis on cognitive readiness can hinder an athlete’s ability to manage competitive situations and achieve peak performance [–]. Optimizing cognitive processes and psychological factors requires systematic psychological training []. Psychological skill or mental training can influence athletes’ performances, particularly their attention and focus []. Furthermore, various mental training techniques and strategies consistently demonstrate a positive influence on performance and mental skills [–]. One example of these is self-talk, a multidimensional psychological strategy. Self-talk refers to the use of positive or negative open or closed statements that individuals direct toward themselves. These statements serve both instructional and motivational purposes []. The efficacy of this strategy is well-documented, with research demonstrating its ability to improve motor performance [], self-efficacy [], self-confidence [], and motivation []. Additionally, self-talk has been found to reduce anxiety [] and help manage attention and focus []. Consequently, when faced with challenges in competition, athletes use self-talk as a self-regulation strategy to cope with the mental demands of the sport []. This strategy can be used either independently or in combination with other psychological skill training []. Breathing control training has also been recognized as a fundamental psychological intervention in pre-competition and warm-up routines, playing a crucial role in optimizing athletic performance. This method helps athletes cope with stress, reduce anxiety, maintain cognitive clarity, and sustain attentional focus under competitive pressure [, ]. Breathing techniques modulate autonomic nervous system activity, thereby facilitating physiological and psychological readiness. This physiological readiness, in turn, can improve motor performance, reaction time, and decision-making [–]. Integrating breathing techniques with therapeutic interventions significantly enhances heart rate variability, suggesting that breathing exercises are valuable tools for improving physiological regulation in individuals with high anxiety sensitivity []. Beyond its psychological effects, breathing has also been shown to modulate neural activity. For instance, slow-symmetric breathing with breath-hold phases leads to meaningful alterations in electroencephalography (EEG) parameters, such as beta band power []. This finding is consistent with several studies suggesting that EEG provides a more comprehensive and objective evaluation of psychological interventions by offering neural correlates, thereby allowing for an understanding of their impact [–].