Brain Bioelectrical Activity and Cerebral Hemodynamics in Athletes under Combined Cognitive and Physical Loading

Abstract

This work was aimed at studying the effects of physical exercise on brain electrical activity, cerebral blood flow, and cognitive function in athletes engaged in cyclic and acyclic sports. The study was performed on healthy young men at ages of 18 to 23 years. We used cognitive tests, electroencephalography, and rheoencephalography. Cerebral hemodynamics was shown to change after dynamic and static loading. The changes in blood flow after static loading were more marked than after dynamic loading. The results suggest that static loads cause a decrease in the activity of the EEG β- and θ-rhythms in the cognitive testing. It has been shown that cyclic loads have a positive effect on cognitive functions, while no such effects are observed after static loadings.