REZILISPORT: Prevention of Neurocognitive Exhaustion and Sustained Mental Performance in Elite Athletes During Intensive Competitive Seasons Through Integrated Brain Training

Elite professional athletes competing in high-density seasons are exposed to sustained physical, cognitive, and emotional stressors that may precipitate neurocognitive fatigue before the onset of overt physical decline. The present randomized, controlled, longitudinal multicenter study investigated the efficacy of an integrated brain training protocol in preventing neurocognitive exhaustion and preserving executive, emotional, and autonomic functioning across a nine-month competitive season in elite team-sport athletes. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving a structured neurotechnological intervention or to a control group undergoing standard training and monitoring. The intervention combined personalized EEG neurofeedback, transcranial photobiomodulation (alpha–gamma frequencies), heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, non-invasive vagal nerve stimulation, and guided binaural stimulation. Neurophysiological and psychometric assessments were conducted at four time points (T0–T3), including quantitative EEG (qEEG), HRV indices (RMSSD, SDNN, LF/HF ratio), GP-8 stress scores, and global EEG coherence measures. At season completion, the experimental group demonstrated significant increases in vagally mediated HRV parameters, improved autonomic balance, reduced psychophysiological stress scores, and enhanced global EEG coherence compared to controls. These findings indicate strengthened functional connectivity within executive and salience networks, as well as improved neurovisceral integration. The results suggest that integrated brain training represents a feasible, non-invasive, and clinically meaningful strategy for sustaining neurocognitive performance and preventing seasonal mental fatigue in elite sport. The study supports the inclusion of structured neurophysiological training within performance and medical infrastructures of professional clubs.