Can transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the motor cortex increase endurance running performance? a...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sports Science
• Exercise Physiology

Background:

• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method.
• Previous studies suggest tDCS enhances strength and cycling performance.
• The effect of tDCS on running endurance remains largely uninvestigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of tDCS in improving submaximal treadmill running time to exhaustion (TTE).
• To assess physiological responses including RPE, blood lactate, VO2, and heart rate during running.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, sham-controlled, crossover trial involving 45 healthy male runners (18-32 years).
• Participants underwent 20 minutes of active or sham multichannel tDCS over the bilateral motor cortex (4 mA intensity).
• Constant-load running tests at 90% maximal aerobic speed were performed, with physiological parameters monitored.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in median TTE between active (12.2 min) and sham (12.5 min) tDCS conditions (p = 0.96).
• No significant differences observed in RPE, blood lactate, final VO2, or final heart rate between conditions (p ≥ 0.05).
• No differences in TTE were found when stratifying by VO2max, though a trend for correlation between VO2max and change in TTE was noted (p = 0.06).

Conclusions:

• tDCS applied over the bilateral motor cortex does not enhance endurance performance in trained runners.
• The study found no ergogenic effect of tDCS on running endurance under the tested experimental conditions.
• Further research is needed to understand individual tDCS responsiveness and its potential role in exercise performance.