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Updated: Apr 4, 2026
In Vivo Intracellular Recording of Type-Identified Rat Spinal Motoneurons During Trans-Spinal Direct Current Stimulation
Published on: May 11, 2020
Transcranial direct current stimulation on the autonomic modulation and exercise time in individuals with spinal cord
Fabiana Tenório Gomes Silva1, Jeferson Tafarel Pereira Rêgo1, Francisco Rômulo Raulino1
1Department of Physical Education, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Purpose:
To report the effect of the transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) of an individual, a sedentary male subject with complete chronic spinal cord injury at the T11-T12 levels.
Methods:
The individual underwent three experimental sessions: control, sham and anodal tDCS. Before, during and after exercise sessions, the following variables were recorded: heart rate variability, Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE), power and glucose (this one only before and after the exercise).
Results:
The anodal tDCS provided greater exercise time and power, lower perceived exertion, greater reduction in glucose, and an increase in time to reach the threshold of heart rate variability.
Conclusions:
tDCS caused an improvement in the exercise tolerance, probably due to the modulation of the autonomic nervous system and the pain, characterized by reduced RPE.
