Objective: 

The frequency properties of the spontaneous brain activity have revealed valuable insights into brain correlates underlying brain functions. Because of previous studies showed that the muscle activity affects directly the brain activity, in the present study we investigated the differences of spontaneous electrical activity (EEG) of the brain between professional dancers, sportsmen and control groups.

Methods: 

Ten healthy and right-handed professional dancers, 10 sportsmen and 10 healthy volunteers participated in this study (5 female, 5 male for each groups). Spontaneous EEG was recorded during the two different conditions: 5 min EEG sequences under resting conditions were recorded with eyes open and closed.

The properties of frequencies of the spontaneous brain electrical activity were analyzed. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS-PC 16.0 (Repeated Measured ANOVA).

Results: 

In condition with eyes closed: There were significant differences for the brain frequencies between groups (control, dancers and sportsmen). In condition with eyes open: There were significant differences for the brain frequencies between groups. Sportsmen had higher frequency power especially for the theta and alpha than in dancers and controls for the conditions with eyes open and also closed.

Conclusions: 

The present study is important to demonstrate the effect of the muscle activity on the electrical activity of the brain in dancers and sportsmen.