Individual Features in the Typology of the Nervous System and the Brain Activity Dynamics of Freestyle Wrestlers Exposed to a Strong Physical Activity (a Pilot Study)

Abstract

Nowadays, knowledge of psychophysiological features, particularly on the nervous system’s characteristics, is essential in the sporting context, particularly for freestyle wrestling. The study aimed to investigate the peculiarities of the wrestlers’ nervous system—on the individual and electrophysiological levels in two functional states—in calm wakefulness and during intense physical fatigue. Psychological (Well-being, Activity, Mood; Spielberger–Hanin; Leonhard’s questionnaires), as well as electrophysiological techniques (dynamics of the dominant and average frequencies of the main electroencephalogram (EEG) spectra—theta, alpha, low and high-frequency beta rhythms), were used in the study. It was shown that athletes were mainly characterized by the hyperthymic type of character accentuation and a low frequency of theta rhythm in a calm wakefulness state. After the acute physical load, wrestlers with high hyperthymia showed a moderate increase in theta, whereas other athletes showed a decrease in this parameter. Regardless of the level of hyperthymic accentuation, all wrestlers were characterized by an increase in the frequency of alpha rhythm after exercises in the left hemisphere. These results suggest the existence of a particular functional system in freestyle wrestlers, which allows the body’s regulatory systems to be adapted for the effective implementation of sports activity.