BACKGROUND: Reduced cognitive ability may affect sports performance and increase injury risk. Current cognitive function screening tools in athletes include stationary procedures that may lack external validity, whole-body movements, and time constraints. We aimed to study the reliability and the between- and within-session variations of newly developed cognitive-motor tests. METHODS: Twelve physically active participants participated in two experimental sessions. In each session, they completed a test battery to assess sport-relevant cognitive-motor domains (reaction time, processing speed, divided attention, visual memory, peripheral vision) using a specific training system, including devices with a LED matrix and proximity sensor. Each test comprised three blocks of 25 trials or 4 blocks of 20 trials. Test-retest reliability was assessed using two-way mixed-effects intraclass correlation coefficient. Within- and between-session changes were assessed using repeated measures ANOVA and paired t-tests. RESULTS: Reliability ranged from moderate to excellent (ICC: 0.51-0.94). Processing speed and divided attention scores significantly improved in the second session (delta: 5.3-7.7%, P<0.017; delta: 12.0-13.7%, P<0.001, respectively). No changes were detected within the same experimental day, except for divided attention that improved across session 1 (1st vs. 3rd block: delta=5%, P=0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Given the results, some tests can be discarded, or the number of trials reduced due to lower reliability and long duration, resulting in a test battery that is overall shorter but reliable and accurate. Further research is warranted to evaluate the predictive ability of this protocol for injury risk identification in different sport-relevant populations.
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