Document Type : Original article
Authors
1
Department of Sports Medicine and New Technologies, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2
Associate Professor, Department of Sport Injury and Corrective Exercise, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3
Assistant Professor of Sports injuries and Corrective Exercises, Department of Sports injuries and Corrective Exercises (Sports Medicine and Health), Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, university of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
10.22037/sjrm.2026.117593.3470
Abstract
Background and Aims: Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury is a common and debilitating sports injury. Identifying neurocognitive biomarkers can facilitate early screening and effective prevention. This study compared absolute EEG power during resting state (eyes‑closed and eyes‑open) between athletes with high‑risk and low‑risk landing biomechanics based on the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS).
Materials and Methods: Thirty male athletes (mean age 24.3±3.4 years) from team sports were divided into high‑risk (n=15, LESS≥6) and low‑risk (n=15, LESS≤4) groups. A 32‑channel EEG was recorded during two 2‑minute conditions (eyes‑closed and eyes‑open). Log10‑transformed absolute power was calculated for delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands across frontal, central, parietal, and temporal regions. The Mann‑Whitney U test was used (alpha=0.05, SPSS version 26).
Results: In the eyes‑closed condition, the high‑risk group showed significantly higher absolute theta power in the frontal region (log‑transformed absolute theta power in the frontal region during eyes‑closed: U=60.0, p=0.029) and in the central region (log‑transformed absolute theta power in the central region during eyes‑closed: U=33.5, p=0.001) compared to the low‑risk group. Additionally, the high‑risk group exhibited significantly lower absolute alpha power in the frontal region (log‑transformed absolute alpha power in the frontal region during eyes‑closed: U=63.0, p=0.040) and in the parietal region (log‑transformed absolute alpha power in the parietal region during eyes‑closed: U=41.0, p=0.003). In the eyes‑open condition, no significant differences were observed between the two groups for any variable (all p>0.05).
Conclusion: Athletes with a high‑risk landing pattern exhibit a distinct neurophysiological profile characterized by increased theta power (heightened attention or neural compensation) and decreased alpha power (reduced cortical inhibition) during eyes‑closed resting state. These differences were observed only with eyes closed, suggesting this condition is more sensitive for identifying neural biomarkers of ACL injury risk. Resting‑state EEG with eyes closed may serve as a non‑invasive, low‑cost screening tool for identifying prone athletes.
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