TY - JOUR AU - Codella, Roberto; Alongi, Rosario; Filipas, Luca; Luzi, Livio TI - Ergogenic Effects of Bihemispheric Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Fitness: a Randomized Cross-over Trial SN - 0172-4622 SN - 1439-3964 PY - 2020 JO - Int J Sports Med JF - International Journal of Sports Medicine LA - EN VL - 42 IS - 01 SP - 66 EP - 73 DA - 2020/08/11 KW - motor cortex M1 KW - portable brain stimulation KW - exercise training KW - tDCS KW - physical fitness KW - neuromodulation AB - Several types of routines and methods have been experimented to gain neuromuscular advantages, in terms of exercise performance, in athletes and fitness enthusiasts. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of biemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation on physical fitness indicators of healthy, physically active, men. In a randomized, single-blinded, crossover fashion, seventeen subjects (age: 30.9 ± 6.5 years, BMI: 24.8±3.1 kg/m2) underwent either stimulation or sham, prior to: vertical jump, sit & reach, and endurance running tests. Mixed repeated measures anova revealed a large main effect of stimulation for any of the three physical fitness measures. Stimulation determined increases of lower limb power (+ 5%), sit & reach amplitude (+ 9%) and endurance running capacity (+ 12%) with respect to sham condition (0.16<ηp2 < 0.41; p<0.05). Ratings-of-perceived-exertion, recorded at the end of each test session, did not change across all performances. However, in the stimulated-endurance protocol, an average lower rate-of-perceived-exertion at iso-time was inferred. A portable transcranial direct current stimulation headset could be a valuable ergogenic resource for individuals seeking to improve physical fitness in daily life or in athletic training. PB - Georg Thieme Verlag KG DO - 10.1055/a-1198-8525 UR - http://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/a-1198-8525 ER -