Transcranial direct current stimulation and repeated sprint ability: No effect on sprint performance or ratings of perceived exertion

Abstract

The role of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as an ergogenic aid is receiving attention from scientists to optimize sport performance. Most studies have examined the effects of tDCS on endurance performance during continuous tasks, while the effect of tDCS on high-intensity intermittent tasks has been less investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the acute effects of tDCS on sprint performance and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during a repeated sprint ability (RSA) task. Twenty-five healthy males (age: 22.0 ± 2.5 years) participated in a randomized crossover study consisting of three experimental sessions (anodal, cathodal or sham tDCS) separated by 1 week. Each session consisted of (I) tDCS protocol (15 min at 2 mA applied over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC]), (II) warm-up and (III) RSA task (ten 30-m running sprints separated by 30 s). Total time and RPE values were recorded for each sprint. The two-way ANOVA applied on sprint time did not reveal a significant main effect of tDCS condition (p = .200) neither a significant tDCS condition × number of sprint interaction (p = .716). Similarly, no significant differences were observed for the fatigue index (p = .449), RSAmean (p = .200) or RPE after each sprint (p range = .116-.890). The magnitude of the differences between the tDCS conditions ranged from negligible to small (effect sizes ≤ 0.33). These results suggest that the application of tDCS over the DLPFC is not effective to increase sprint performance or reduce RPE during a RSA task. HIGHLIGHTS. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that could modulate neuromuscular performance. . This study aimed to explore the short-term effects of tDCS on sprint performance and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during a repeated sprint ability (RSA) task. . The application of either ANODAL or CATHODAL tDCS over the DLPFC for 15 minutes did not affect the sprint time of single repeated sprints or the overall metrics of RSA performance (RSAmean and fatigue index). . The application of either ANODAL or CATHODAL tDCS over the DLPFC for 15 minutes did not affect the ratings of perceived exertion measured during the repeated sprints task.

Effects of Preceding Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Movement Velocity and EMG Signal during the Back Squat Exercise

“…As in the present study, other studies have found no positive effects of a-tDCS on strength development in healthy participants [ 23 ], nor relevant effects on jumping performance [ 39 ], and also failed to show the effectiveness in improving sprint performance or reducing RPE during repeated sprint tasks [ 40 ]. Assuming that the ability to generate force is dependent on neural activity (i.e., synchronisation of motor units, as well as intermuscular coordination) and assuming that a-tDCS could facilitate this situation [ 41 ], further research is warranted to provide a better understanding of the effects of a-tDCS on diverse training programs and populations.…”

“…This effect could be of interest when looking for post-activation potentiation performance enhancement, the improvement of which has been studied using a variety of techniques [ 47 , 48 ]. However, it has recently been shown that the use of a-tDCS for 15 min did not improve CMJ in young trained participants [ 40 ].…”

Mental fatigue impairs physical performance but not the neural drive to the muscle

“…In this sense, non-invasive brain stimulation over the DLPFC has improved strength endurance performance while reducing RPE (Alix-Fages et al ., 2020). On the other hand, in line with the absence of MF effects on power tasks, non-invasive brain stimulation over the DLPFC does not significantly affect power tasks performance such as CMJ (Romero-Arenas et al ., 2019), MVC (Alix-Fages et al ., 2019) or sprint (Alix-Fages et al ., 2021, 2022).…”

Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Professional Female Soccer Players’ Recovery Following Official Matches

“…In a recent study with elite archers in 'real-world' competition, Mehrsafar et al (2020) demonstrated that applying tDCS with the anode electrode (þ) over the left DLPFC and the cathode (-) over the right DLPFC (þF3/ÀF4 montage) increased vigor and decreased the perceived fatigue, and tension (assessed by the Brunnel Mood Scale) as well as somatic and cognitive anxiety (assessed by the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory 2). However, it should be noted that other studies did not reproduce tDCS induced positive findings on perceived fatigue (i.e., RPE) in non-athletes during vigorous continuous (Okano et al, 2017) or repeated sprint exercise (Alix-Fages et al, 2021).…”