Extracurricular sports activities modify the proprioceptive map in children aged 5–8 years

The Chinese government has recently issued the strictest ever guideline to improve the compulsory education system. The new policy aims at reducing the burden of excessive homework and supplementary tutoring, whilst promoting extracurricular activities, including sports and arts, for primary and junior middle school students. To examine the impact that this reform might have on sensory development—which is critical for higher-order cognitive functions—we assessed proprioceptive abilities in children from 5 to 8 years of age. Proprioception refers to sensations of position and motion of the body in space and is mediated by activity in somatosensory and prefrontal cortical areas. By asking participants to perform position matching tasks in the forward–backward directions, we were able to compare the proprioceptive maps of children with and without regular sports training. We demonstrate that extracurricular sports activities can modify the proprioceptive map and improve proprioceptive acuity and stability in school-aged children.