Martens Géraldine, Hody Stéphanie, Bornheim Stephen, Angius Luca, De Beaumont Louis, Fregni Felipe, Ruffini Giulio, Kaux Jean-François, Thibaut Aurore, Bury Thierry
Department of Physical Activity and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Sport & Trauma Applied Research Lab, Montreal Sacred Heart Hospital Research Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 5;19(12):e0312084. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312084. eCollection 2024.
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, has been shown to increase exercise performance in strength and cycling studies but its effects on running endurance remain unclear. The objectives of this randomized sham-controlled crossover trial were to assess tDCS efficacy on submaximal treadmill running time to exhaustion (TTE). Forty-five healthy male runners aged between 18 and 32 years (mean maximal oxygen consumption: 46.6 mL/min/kg) performed two constant-load tests at 90% of their maximal aerobic speed preceded by 20 minutes of active or sham multichannel (5 anodes, 3 cathodes) tDCS applied over the bilateral motor cortex with a total intensity of 4 mA. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), blood lactate, VO2, and heart rate were monitored every five minutes until volitional exhaustion. The median [IQR] TTE was similar following active (12.2 [10.5, 16.1] minutes) or sham (12.5 [10.2, 15.1] minutes) tDCS (p = 0.96). Likewise, there were no significant differences between active and sham conditions for RPE, blood lactate, final VO2, and final heart rate (all p ≥0.05). No difference in TTE was found when stratifying groups according to their VO2max (i.e., VO2max ≥ 45 mL/min/Kg, p = 0.53; VO2max < 45 mL/min/Kg, p = 0.45) but there was a trend for a significant correlation between VO2max and change in TTE (p = 0.06). TDCS applied over the bilateral motor cortex did not improve endurance performance in a large sample of trained runners. Characterization of individual tDCS responsiveness deserves further consideration. In our experimental conditions, tDCS had no ergogenic effect on endurance running performance. Trial registration: Clinical trial registration: NCT04005846.
经颅直流电刺激（tDCS）是一种非侵入性脑刺激技术，在力量和自行车运动研究中已显示可提高运动表现，但其对跑步耐力的影响尚不清楚。这项随机假对照交叉试验的目的是评估tDCS对次最大强度跑步机力竭时间（TTE）的疗效。45名年龄在18至32岁之间的健康男性跑步者（平均最大耗氧量：46.6 mL/min/kg）在其最大有氧速度的90%下进行了两次恒定负荷测试，之前在双侧运动皮层上进行了20分钟的主动或假多通道（5个阳极，3个阴极）tDCS，总强度为4 mA。每五分钟监测一次主观用力程度（RPE）、血乳酸、VO2和心率，直至自愿力竭。主动tDCS（12.2 [10.5, 16.1]分钟）或假tDCS（12.5 [10.2, 15.1]分钟）后的TTE中位数[四分位间距]相似（p = 0.96）。同样，主动和假刺激条件下的RPE、血乳酸、最终VO2和最终心率之间也没有显著差异（所有p≥0.05）。根据VO2max分层分组时，TTE没有差异（即VO2max≥45 mL/min/Kg，p = 0.53；VO2max < 45 mL/min/Kg，p = 0.45），但VO2max与TTE变化之间存在显著相关趋势（p = 0.06）。在大量训练有素的跑步者样本中，在双侧运动皮层上应用tDCS并不能提高耐力表现。个体对tDCS反应性的特征值得进一步研究。在我们的实验条件下，tDCS对耐力跑表现没有促力效应。试验注册：临床试验注册：NCT04005846。
