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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Remotely Supervised Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation: An Update on Safety and Tolerability
Published on: October 7, 2017
Elite Cyclists with Type 1 Diabetes Show Acceptable Glycemic Excursions During a Time-Trial Performance Under
Roberto Codella1, Gabriele Gallo2, Andrea Meloni1
1Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy; Department of Endocrinology, Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases, IRCCS MultiMedica, Milan, Italy.
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on glycemic excursions during a time-trial performance in elite cyclists with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Methods:
In a double-blind, randomized crossover order, 9 elite cyclists with T1D (no complications) underwent either HD-tDCS (F3 and F4) or control (SHAM) and completed a constant-load trial at 75% of the second ventilatory threshold plus a 15-km cycling time trial.
Results:
Real-time continuous glucose monitoring revealed similar glycemic variability between the 2 conditions, showing a significant effect of time but no interaction (stimulation × time) or stimulation effect.
Conclusion:
Because glycemic control is crucial for both health and performance, these findings suggest that HD-tDCS could be safely used to enhance performance in athletes with T1D and potentially in a broader active T1D population.

