Determination device and determination method

Abstract

The present invention determines steroid hormones associated with performance in a shorter period of time than the prior art. This determination device includes: a concentration change calculation unit that calculates, for each of steroid hormones, information pertaining to a change in the concentration of each steroid hormone before and after the execution of an action subject to conditioning; and a determination unit that uses the information pertaining to change in the concentration of each steroid hormone to determine a steroid hormone associated with performance.

Description

Determination device and determination method

[0001] This invention relates to a technology for using steroid hormones, which affect performance in sports and other settings, for conditioning purposes.

[0002] Non-patent document 1 is known as prior art demonstrating a relationship between performance and steroid hormones.

[0003] Non-patent document 1 suggests that in formula car racing, there is a correlation between steroid hormones and performance, and that the steroid hormones associated with performance differ from driver to driver.

[0004] Yuuki Ooishi, Seiji Matsumura, Makio Kashino and Naoki Saijo, "Role of Testosterone and Cortisol in Formula Car Drivers for Achieving High Performance in a Real Competitive Situation", [online], [Retrieved December 6, 2024], Internet <URL: https: / / fens2024.abstractserver.com / program / # / details / presentations / 1617>

[0005] However, conventional techniques require a large number of samples to determine the correlation between steroid hormones and performance, and it takes a long time to identify hormones associated with performance. For example, it may require accompanying the athlete for several years to collect saliva samples and record their performance.

[0006] Furthermore, while methods for manipulating and intervening with individual steroid hormones exist, there is no method for determining which steroid hormone should be intervened with in the first place. Without this method of determination, it is impossible to propose intervention methods that will contribute to improving athlete performance.

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a device, method, and program for determining performance-related steroid hormones in a shorter time compared to conventional methods.

[0008] To solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, the determination device includes a concentration change calculation unit that calculates information regarding the change in the concentration of each steroid hormone before and after the performance of the behavior targeted for conditioning, and a determination unit that uses the information regarding the change in the concentration of each steroid hormone to determine the steroid hormone associated with performance.

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to determine steroid hormones related to performance in a shorter period of time compared to conventional methods.

[0010] A diagram showing the change in steroid hormone concentration before and after performing the conditioning behavior. A functional block diagram of the determination device according to the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the processing flow of the determination device according to the first embodiment. A diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer to which this method is applied.

[0011] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the drawings used in the following description, components with the same function or steps that perform the same processing will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] <Key Points of the First Embodiment> Based on the discovery that steroid hormones (cortisol, testosterone, etc.) that affect performance differ from athlete to athlete in sports and other situations, the first embodiment determines the steroid hormones associated with performance for each athlete. Furthermore, knowing which steroid hormones are associated with performance can be used to improve the athlete's conditioning. For example, by determining which steroid hormones are associated with performance, appropriate intervention or manipulation methods for steroid hormones can be proposed for each athlete based on the determination results.

[0013] Furthermore, it was discovered that the concentration of steroid hormones in saliva changes before and after performing the conditioning behavior. In this embodiment, the steroid hormones associated with performance are determined based on this change.

[0014] Figure 1 shows the changes in steroid hormone concentrations before and after performing the conditioning activity. Figure 1(A) shows the average cortisol concentration, and Figure 1(B) shows the average testosterone concentration. The conditioning activity is driving a Formula car. In both (A) and (B), there is no significant difference in the concentrations of each steroid hormone between 10 minutes before and 30 minutes before the activity. From Figure 1(A), athlete X's cortisol concentration changed significantly between before (10 minutes and 30 minutes before) and after the activity, showing a significant difference. On the other hand, athlete Y's cortisol concentration changed between before (30 minutes before) and after the activity, but the difference was not significant. Also, from Figure 1(B), athlete Y's testosterone concentration changed significantly between before (10 minutes and 30 minutes before) and after the activity, showing a significant difference. On the other hand, while athlete X's testosterone levels changed before (10 minutes and 30 minutes before) and after the exercise, the difference was not statistically significant.

[0015] Here, the steroid hormones that changed significantly before and after the exercise are thought to be heavily involved in performance. Furthermore, Figure 1 shows that the steroid hormones that are heavily involved in performance differ from athlete to athlete.

[0016] In the example in Figure 1, it is assumed that the increased concentration of steroid hormones is involved in performance, but this is not necessarily the case. Even if the concentration of a certain steroid hormone decreases, it can still be considered to be involved in performance.

[0017] <First Embodiment> Figure 2 shows a functional block diagram of the determination device 100 according to the first embodiment, and Figure 3 shows its processing flow.

[0018] The determination device 100 includes a concentration change calculation unit 110 and a determination unit 120.

[0019] The determination device 100 takes the steroid hormone concentration before and after performing the conditioning behavior as input, determines the steroid hormone associated with performance, and outputs the determination result.

[0020] The determination device 100 is a special device configured by loading a special program into a known or dedicated computer having, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and main memory (RAM). The determination device 100 executes each process under the control of, for example, the central processing unit. Data input to the determination device 100 and data obtained in each process are stored in, for example, main memory, and the data stored in main memory is read to the central processing unit as needed and used for other processes. Each processing unit of the determination device 100 may be composed of hardware such as integrated circuits, at least in part. Each storage unit of the determination device 100 can be composed of, for example, main memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), or middleware such as a relational database or key-value store. However, each storage unit does not necessarily have to be located inside the determination device 100; it may be composed of auxiliary storage devices made of semiconductor memory elements such as hard disks, optical disks, or flash memory, and may be located outside the determination device 100.

[0021] (Processing Flow) The following describes each part in accordance with the processing flow shown in Figure 3.

[0022] First, a user of the assessment device 100 collects a saliva sample from the person being conditioned before they perform the behavior that is the subject of the conditioning (S1). Users of the assessment device 100 include the person being conditioned, their associates, and those who have been requested to do so by them.

[0023] The person being conditioned performs the behavior for which conditioning is being applied (S3). Examples of behaviors for which conditioning is being applied include driving a Formula car, as described in Non-Patent Document 1. It should be noted that driving, due to its characteristics, is considered to involve both motor and cognitive tasks. Therefore, examples of behaviors for which conditioning is being applied include (i) sports, (ii) academic tests, (iii) musical performance, and (iv) presentations. In short, it is applicable to any behavior that involves at least one of motor or cognitive load. Furthermore, behaviors for which conditioning is being applied are, for example, high-pressure behaviors, such as actual matches, exams, performances, and presentations, rather than practice.

[0024] After the user of the judgment device 100 performs the behavior to be conditioned, a saliva sample is collected from the person to be conditioned (S5).

[0025] The user of the judgment device 100 performs a hormone analysis on saliva before and after performing the conditioning behavior using conventional techniques (S7) to obtain the concentration of the target steroid hormone. Any method may be used for the hormone analysis of saliva. Furthermore, the sample for hormone analysis is not limited to saliva; any sample containing steroid hormones, such as blood, may be used.

[0026] Examples of target steroid hormones include cortisol and testosterone, as described in Non-Patent Document 1. However, the study is not limited to cortisol and testosterone; any steroid hormone associated with performance may be used.

[0027] The concentration change calculation unit 110 takes the concentrations of steroid hormones before and after the performance of the conditioning activity as input, calculates information regarding the concentration change of each steroid hormone before and after the performance of the conditioning activity (S9), and outputs it. The information regarding the concentration change includes the difference in steroid hormone concentrations before and after the performance (x af -x be ), magnification (xaf / x be )), rate of change ((x af -x be ) / x be ) etc. can be considered. However, x be is the concentration of the steroid hormone before execution, and x af is the concentration of the steroid hormone after execution.

[0028] The determination unit 120 takes information on the change in the concentration of the steroid hormone as input, and uses the information on the change in the concentration of the steroid hormone to determine the steroid hormone related to performance (S11), and outputs the determination result.

[0029] (Determination method 1) For example, when using the magnification or rate of change of the concentration of the steroid hormone before and after execution as information on the change in concentration, the determination unit 120 uses the magnification or rate of change of each steroid hormone to determine the steroid hormone related to performance. By using the magnification or rate of change of the concentration, it is possible to make a determination with at least one set of data.

[0030] The following determination results can be considered.

[0031] (i) When it is estimated that the steroid hormone with an increased concentration is involved in performance, the steroid hormone corresponding to the one with the largest magnification or rate of change is taken as the determination result. For example, when cortisol and testosterone are considered as steroid hormones related to performance, the magnification a of cortisol and the magnification b of testosterone are obtained, and a determination result indicating that the steroid hormone with the larger magnification is the steroid hormone related to performance (cortisol if a > b, testosterone if b > a) is output.

[0032] If it is estimated that a steroid hormone with a reduced concentration is involved in performance, the steroid hormone corresponding to the one with the smallest magnification is used as the determination result. For example, the magnification of the first steroid hormone (1 / a) and the magnification of the second steroid hormone (1 / b) are determined, and the determination result is output indicating that the steroid hormone with the smaller magnification is the steroid hormone associated with performance (if a>b, it is the first steroid hormone; if b>a, it is the second steroid hormone).

[0033] (Determination Method 2) For example, when using the difference in steroid hormone concentrations before and after the action as information regarding the change in concentration, the determination unit 120 uses the difference in concentration of each steroid hormone to determine the effect size of each steroid hormone and determines the steroid hormone associated with performance from the effect size of the steroid hormones. By using the effect size rather than the change amount, the magnitude of the actual difference that does not depend on the unit of measurement is evaluated. For example, the effect size is obtained by dividing the difference in the mean values ​​of two groups (the group before performing the behavior targeted for conditioning and the group after performing the behavior) (i.e., the difference in the mean values ​​of steroid hormone concentrations) by the standard deviation of the two groups combined.

[0034] The following results are possible.

[0035] (i) If it is estimated that a steroid hormone with increased concentration is involved in performance, the steroid hormone corresponding to the one with the largest effect size is used as the result. For example, if cortisol and testosterone are considered to be steroid hormones associated with performance, the effect size a of cortisol and the effect size b of testosterone are calculated, and the result is output indicating that the steroid hormone with the larger effect size is the steroid hormone associated with performance (cortisol if a>b, testosterone if b>a). If it is estimated that a steroid hormone with decreased concentration is involved in performance, the steroid hormone corresponding to the one with the smallest effect size should be used as the result.

[0036] (ii) Determine the ratio of the effect amount of each steroid hormone to the total effect amount of all steroid hormones as the determination result. For example, when considering cortisol and testosterone as steroid hormones related to performance, obtain the effect amount a of cortisol and the effect amount b of testosterone, and output the combination of the ratio of cortisol (a / (a + b)) and the ratio of testosterone (b / (a + b)) as the determination result.

[0037] The determination result of (i) is easy for the user to understand because there is only one steroid hormone related to performance, and it is easy to select the intervention method or operation method for that steroid hormone. On the other hand, the determination result of (ii) can know the steroid hormones related to performance in more detail, so the intervention method and operation method can be considered more flexibly.

[0038] <Effect> With the above configuration, compared with the prior art, steroid hormones related to performance can be determined in a short period. Specifically, in the prior art, it was necessary to bring the athlete with them for several years and collect data for several races (collect saliva), but in this embodiment, steroid hormones related to performance can be determined only by collecting saliva before and after driving for the shortest number of races.

[0039] <Modification> The determination device 100 may include a storage unit and a display unit not shown in the figure.

[0040] The storage unit stores a combination of information representing the type of steroid hormone (for example, an identifier) and information indicating the operation method or intervention method for that steroid hormone.

[0041] The determination device uses the determination result (steroid hormone related to performance) to retrieve information indicating the operation method or intervention method for the steroid hormone related to that performance from the storage unit, display it on a display unit not shown in the figure, and can present the user with the operation method or intervention method for improving performance.

[0042] For example, as an intervention method for cortisol (e.g., a method for reducing cortisol), listening to high-tempo music, short-term exposure to extremely low temperatures (see Reference 1), etc. are known.

[0043] (Reference 1) D Grasso, et al., "Salivary steroid hormone response to whole-body cryotherapy in elite rugby players", 2014. Also, as an intervention method for testosterone (e.g., a method for reducing testosterone), cold exposure (see Reference 2), cold water immersion (see Reference 3), etc. are known.

[0044] (Reference 2) Adel Shalaby, et al., "Sex Differences in Some Physiological Effects of Cold Season or Short-Term Cold Exposure in Adult Albino Rat", 2015. (Reference 3) Jacob E Earp, et al., "Cold-water immersion blunts and delays increases in circulating testosterone and cytokines post-resistance exercise", 2019. As information indicating an operation method or an intervention method, text data, image data, video data for explaining the operation method or the intervention method, and information (such as a URL) for accessing those data can be used.

[0045] Furthermore, the device, system, or method of the present invention may also have a device (terminal) for using them via a network (telecommunication line). The "device (terminal) for use" may be provided with functions (e.g., control functions, input / output functions, etc.) necessary for obtaining the effects by implementing the device, system, or method of the present invention. Note that a configuration including a device (terminal) for using the device or method of the present invention via a network (telecommunication line) is also referred to as a determination system.

[0046] <Hardware, Programs and Recording Media> The functions realized by the components described herein may be implemented in a circuitry or processing circuitry, including a general-purpose processor, an application-specific processor, an integrated circuit, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a CPU (a Central Processing Unit), conventional circuits, and / or a combination thereof, programmed to realize the functions described herein. A processor includes transistors and other circuits and is considered a circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory.

[0047] In this specification, circuitry, unit, and means are hardware programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein. Such hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein, or any hardware known to be programmed to perform or execute the functions described herein.

[0048] If the hardware is a processor that is considered to be a type of circuitry, then the circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to constitute the hardware and / or processor.

[0049] The various processes described above can be carried out by loading a program that executes each step of the above method into the recording unit 2020 of the computer 2000 shown in Figure 4, and then causing the control unit 2010, input unit 2030, output unit 2040, display unit 2050, etc. to operate.

[0050] The program describing this process can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Any computer-readable recording medium can be used, such as a magnetic recording device, optical disc, magneto-optical recording medium, or semiconductor memory.

[0051] Furthermore, this program may be distributed, for example, by selling, transferring, or lending portable recording media such as DVDs or CD-ROMs on which the program is recorded. Alternatively, the program may be stored in the storage device of a server computer and distributed by transferring the program from the server computer to other computers via a network.

[0052] A computer executing such a program may, for example, first store the program recorded on a portable storage medium or a program transferred from a server computer in its own storage device. Then, when processing is to be executed, the computer reads the program stored on its own storage medium and executes the processing according to the read program. Alternatively, the computer may directly read the program from the portable storage medium and execute the processing according to that program, or it may sequentially execute the processing according to the received program each time a program is transferred to it from a server computer. Furthermore, the processing may be executed using a so-called ASP (Application Service Provider) type service, where the processing function is realized only by issuing execution instructions and obtaining results, without transferring the program from the server computer to this computer.In addition, the processing may be executed using a so-called SaaS (Software as a Service) type service, where a part of the server computer is made available to the user along with the program. Furthermore, the term "program" in this form includes information used for processing by an electronic computer that is equivalent to a program (data, etc., that is not a direct instruction to the computer but has the property of defining the processing of the computer).

[0053] Furthermore, in this configuration, the device is configured by executing a predetermined program on a computer, but at least a part of these processes may be implemented in hardware.

[0054] <Other Modifications> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above. For example, the various processes described above may not only be performed sequentially according to the description, but may also be performed in parallel or individually as needed, depending on the processing capacity of the device performing the processes. Other modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A determination device comprising: a concentration change calculation unit that calculates information regarding the change in the concentration of each steroid hormone before and after the performance of a conditioning behavior; and a determination unit that uses the information regarding the change in the concentration of the steroid hormone to determine the steroid hormone associated with performance.

2. A determination device according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the change in the concentration of the steroid hormone is the difference in the concentration of the steroid hormone before and after execution, and the determination unit uses the difference in the concentration of each steroid hormone to determine the effect amount of each steroid hormone, and determines the steroid hormone related to the performance from the effect amounts of the steroid hormones.

3. A determination device according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit determines that the steroid hormone with the largest effect size is the steroid hormone associated with the performance.

4. A determination device according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit determines the ratio of the effect amount of each steroid hormone to the sum of the effect amounts of all the steroid hormones as the determination result.

5. A determination device according to claim 1, wherein the information relating to the change in the concentration of the steroid hormone is the multiplier or rate of change of the concentration of the steroid hormone before and after execution.

6. A determination device according to claim 1, wherein the steroid hormones are cortisol and testosterone.

7. A determination method comprising: a concentration change calculation step for each steroid hormone, which calculates information regarding the change in the concentration of each steroid hormone before and after the performance of a conditioning behavior; and a determination step for determining the steroid hormone associated with performance using the information regarding the change in the concentration of the steroid hormone.

8. A determination method according to claim 7, comprising the steps of: collecting saliva from a person subject to conditioning before the performance of the behavior subject to conditioning; having the person subject to conditioning perform the behavior subject to conditioning; collecting saliva from the person after the performance of the behavior subject to conditioning; and performing a hormone analysis on the saliva before and after the performance of the behavior subject to conditioning to obtain the concentration of each steroid hormone contained in the saliva before and after the performance of the behavior subject to conditioning.

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