Effect of high-intensity anaerobic exercise on electrocortical activity in athletes and non-athletes

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to verify the changes in information processing in athletes through electroencephalography, analyzing cortical areas responsible for cognitive functions related to attentional processing of visual stimuli and investigating motor activity's influence on cognitive aspects. METHODS: The sample consisted of 29 subjects, divided into an experimental group (n = 13 modern pentathlon athletes) and a control group (n = 16 non-athletes). We collected the electrocortical activity before and after the Wingate Anaerobic Test. During the electrophysiological measures, the volunteers performed a saccadic eye movement paradigm. They also performed cognitive tasks, resting heart rate, and anthropometric measurements. RESULTS: There was an interaction for the group vs. moment factors in the frontal and parietal areas, only for the right hemisphere (F3, F4, P3, and P4). We found the main effect for group factors in the frontal and parietal electrodes of the right hemisphere (F4 and P4) and a main effect of the moment factor on the frontal (F3 and F4) and parietal (P3 and P4) electrodes. There was an interaction between the group vs. moment factors for the reaction time. The groups were different in Peak Power (Watts/kg), Average Power (Watts/kg), Fatigue Index (%), and Maximum Power (ms). Finally, in Heart Rate (HR) measurements, there were differences between groups for resting heart rate and heart rate before the start of the second electroencephalography measurement. CONCLUSION: We identified Chronic effects of exercise training on the cortical activity of modern pentathlon athletes, read-through differences in absolute alpha power, and acute effects of a high-intensity exercise session for athletes and non-athletes for electrocortical and behavioral responses.

研究目的：本研究旨在通过脑电图（electroencephalography）验证运动员的信息加工变化，分析与视觉刺激注意加工相关认知功能对应的大脑皮层区域，并探究运动活动对认知层面的影响。
研究方法：本研究共纳入29名被试，分为实验组（n=13，现代五项运动员）与对照组（n=16，非运动员）。采集了温盖特无氧测试（Wingate Anaerobic Test）前后的脑电活动。在电生理测量阶段，志愿者完成眼跳运动范式（saccadic eye movement paradigm），同时还开展了认知任务测试、静息心率测量以及人体测量学指标采集。
研究结果：在右侧半球的额叶与顶叶区域（F3、F4、P3及P4电极），组别与测量时点存在显著交互效应。在右侧半球的额叶与顶叶电极（F4与P4）上观察到组别因素的主效应；而在额叶（F3、F4）及顶叶（P3、P4）电极上，测量时点因素存在主效应。反应时指标存在组别与测量时点的交互效应。两组在峰值功率（瓦特/千克）、平均功率（瓦特/千克）、疲劳指数（%）以及最大功率（毫秒）上存在显著差异。最后，心率（Heart Rate, HR）测量结果显示，两组在静息心率及第二次脑电图测量前的心率上存在显著差异。
研究结论：本研究通过绝对α功率的差异，明确了运动训练对现代五项运动员皮层活动的慢性影响；同时发现单次高强度运动对运动员与非运动员的脑电及行为反应具有急性效应。