Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation associated with an aerobic exercise bout on blood pressure and autonomic modulation of hypertensive patients: A pilot randomized clinical trial

A pilot randomized controlled trial of transcranial direct current stimulation adjunct to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in hypertensive individuals

“…They also demonstrated that stimulation targeting the left insular cortex increased parasympathetic modulation (Okano et al, 2015 ). These cortical stimulation targets are associated with better control of heart rate variability; however, little is known about the stimulation effect of the temporal and insular cortex on blood pressure (Okano et al, 2015 ; Silva-Filho et al, 2021 ). In a study with athletes and non-athletes, anodal tDCS applied over the temporal cortex significantly increased parasympathetic activity and decreased sympathetic activity in endurance-trained athletes, but no changes were observed for non-athletes (Montenegro et al, 2011 ).…”

“…The datasets presented in this study can be found in the Zenodo online repository, see below. Silva-Filho et al (2021) effects of neuromodulation of the insular cortex associated with physical exercise on cardiovascular function in hypertensive [Zenodo] (https://doi.org/10.5281/ zenodo.8014762).…”

“…Silva-Filho et al ( 2021 ) effects of neuromodulation of the insular cortex associated with physical exercise on cardiovascular function in hypertensive [Zenodo] ( https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8014762 ).…”

“…Interventions focused on cortical control of the autonomic nervous system have become crucial for improved understanding and management of blood pressure. Studies suggest that stimulation or inhibition of specific brain areas can decrease blood pressure and change autonomic responses in hypertensive patients (Rodrigues et al, 2021 ; Silva-Filho et al, 2021 ). Neuromodulation paired with aerobic exercise may acutely dampen hypertensive effects (Heinz et al, 2020 ; Silva-Filho et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe and low-cost neuromodulation method that is used to interact with the central and autonomic nervous systems (Okano et al, 2015 ; Morya et al, 2019 ). tDCS is suggested to improve neuroplasticity in areas related to blood pressure control, such as the insular cortex, thalamus, and the medial prefrontal cortex (Okano et al, 2015 ; Farinatti et al, 2019 ; Silva-Filho et al, 2021 ). The insular cortex can be targeted with tDCS via electrodes placed over the temporal cortex (T3 area according to electroencephalogram 10/20).…”