The Volga Region University of Sports won a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).

“This is the second grant from the Russian Science Foundation in the history of the university. The work “E-Sports and the Heart” was supported, the scientific director of which was the director of the Research Institute of Physical Culture and Sports, Ph.D., Associate Professor Alexey Zverev,” said Vice-Rector of the Volga Region University of Sports Andrey Nazarenko.

He also noted that among the second-hand 375 projects, 15 were from the Republic of Tatarstan and from universities of physical culture and sports, in addition to the Volga State University, the winners were the Kuban University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Far Eastern Academy of Physical Culture.

Alexey Zverev, in turn, said that e-sports is a modern form of sport that has begun to gain popularity among young people.

“Esports players spend many hours on the computer, which requires good physical shape. Games require fast and precise movements, and some games also require stamina and strength, such as strategy games that involve long battles, problem solving, and defenses. The project is related to the study of the effects of e-sports on the functional state of the heart muscle,” said Alexey Zverev.

The project provides a comparative analysis of the pathophysiological mechanisms of changes in the amplitude-time characteristics of the ECG and hemodynamic indicators during the strengthening of the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system in cybersportsmen.

 The project plans to use complex methods of analyzing ECG, heart rate measurements and respiratory fluctuations to identify such deviations during the game. During its implementation, the significance of adaptation of the heart to a specific load in conditions of increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system will be established.

“The end result of this project will be the characterization of cardiac adaptation mechanisms during gaming activities of e-sportsmen, which can be useful in the training process and in detecting heart pathologies in e-sportsmen. And also the development of methodological recommendations and programs for the functional training of cybersportsmen,” concluded Alexey Zverev.

Photo: Pavel Zheleznyak