EEG FREQUENCY VARIATIONS DURING AN TEST ATTENTIONAL IN ATHLETES

The study of the EEG can be useful for understanding the involvement o f attentional processes in sport. In the present approach cortical EEG variations during a laboratory test requiring different kinds of atte ntion are reported. The EEC of 31 female subjects was recorded from ce ntral derivations (8 sedentary non-athletes, 8 volleyball players, 8 b asketball player and 7 swimmers). The test subjects had to select appr opriate reactions by pressing different keys of PC keyboard in respons e to graphical stimuli occurring on the monitor screen. The experiment al periods were divided into spread attention, selective attention, re adiness paid and reaction period. Analysis of the data revealed signif icantly different EEG frequency patterns among the test periods and am oung the groups of athletes. The open skill sport athletes (volleyball and basketball players) presented higher levels of alpha and low wave bands than did swimmers. Volleyball players showed the highest variab ility of EEG frequency and a frequency shift from low to higher levels passing from the first to the last part of the readiness period.