FACTORS DETERMINING SUCCESSFUL NEUROBIOFEEDBACK IN ATHLETES

Abstract

Alpha-stimulating neurobiofeedback is actively introduced into sports training. Successful training contributes to optimal functioning and sports performance enhancement. However, not all athletes are able to achieve their goals. The main problem is the absence of the data explaining the effect of sports qualification, specialization, and gender on successful neurobiofeedback. Aim. The article deals with establishing the correlation between sports qualification, specialization (depending on movement character), gender, and successful neurobiofeedback. Materials and methods. 216 athletes (124 males and 92 females) participated in a 15-day neurobiofeedback course with the Boslab-alpha equipment (Russia). The average age of participants is 19 ± 0.1 years. All participants have 5 or more years of sports experience. All athletes provided their written informed consent for participation in the study. The 25–30-minute sessions of neurobiofeedback were conducted once per day. The electrodes were set up in the frontal and parietal area in a bipolar mode according to the 10–20 international system (F1 and P3). The increase in the spectrum power of alpha range by no less than 10 % compared to the previous session was considered as successful neurobiofeedback. We calculated the percentage of successful and unsuccessful training sessions for each participant. Statistical analysis of the data obtained was performed with the help of SPSS 13.0 software. Results. The study of successful training in athletes divided into groups in terms of gender, sports qualification, and sports specialization did not reveal any statistically significant differences. By using multifactor dispersion analysis, it was established that successful neurobiofeedback in athletes depended on all the abovementioned factors (F = 2.780; P < 0.05). Conclusion. Successful neurobiofeedback in athletes is determined by the combination of three factors (gender, sports specialization, sports qualification), which do not possess significant effect when studied separately.