NEURORECOVERY ELITE: Accelerating Autonomic and Cerebral Post Exertion Recovery Through Integrated Neurotechnological Interventions in Elite Sport

In elite sport, congested competition schedules frequently require athletes to perform at maximal intensity with only 48–72 hours between matches. While traditional recovery strategies emphasize muscular and metabolic restoration, emerging evidence indicates that incomplete cerebral and autonomic recovery may compromise decision-making, emotional regulation, and tactical consistency. The present randomized controlled longitudinal study evaluated the efficacy of an integrated neurotechnological protocol designed to accelerate neurophysiological recovery following high-intensity competition. Forty professional athletes were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving a five-component intervention (EEG neurofeedback, transcutaneous vagal nerve stimulation, HRV biofeedback for heart–brain coherence, transcranial photobiomodulation, and binaural auditory entrainment) or to a control group undergoing standard recovery procedures. Assessments were conducted pre-match and at 24, 48, and 72 hours post-match, including quantitative EEG (High Beta, SMR activity in prefrontal regions), heart rate variability (RMSSD, LF/HF ratio), HRV coherence, subjective cognitive fatigue, and decisional clarity ratings. Compared to controls, the experimental group demonstrated significantly greater increases in RMSSD (+15.77 ms), greater reductions in LF/HF ratio (–1.26), marked decreases in High Beta activity (–9.22 µV²), increased SMR power (+4.41 µV²), and enhanced heart–brain coherence (+0.44). These physiological improvements were paralleled by substantial reductions in perceived cognitive fatigue and improved decisional clarity, confirmed by coaching staff evaluations. The findings support the hypothesis that neurophysiological recovery can be accelerated to within 24–36 hours through integrated intervention, providing a reproducible and clinically applicable framework for sustaining performance in high-density competitive contexts.