ReviewFrontiers in physiology2017
The Ergogenic Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Exercise Performance.
Review in Frontiers in physiology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
60 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Effects of single-session anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cognitive and motor performance in athletes and healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Pooled it
- Does a single session of transcranial direct current stimulation enhance both physical and psychological performance in national- or international-level athletes? A systematic review.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- The influence of a single transcranial direct current stimulation session on physical fitness in healthy subjects: a systematic review.Experimental brain research · 2023Pooled it
- Systematic Review of the Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Neuromechanical Management of Foot and Ankle Physical Performance in Healthy Adults.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2020Pooled it
- The Impact of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Upper-Limb Motor Performance in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2019Pooled it
- Trial
- M1 transcranial direct current stimulation augments laparoscopic surgical skill acquisition.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Acute effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on peak torque and 5000 m running performance: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2023Trial
- Effects of Tai Chi combined with tDCS on cognitive function in patients with MCI: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2023Trial
- Acute effect of high-definition and conventional tDCS on exercise performance and psychophysiological responses in endurance athletes: a randomized controlled trial.Scientific reports · 2021Trial
- Combining transcranial direct current stimulation with aerobic exercise to optimize cortical priming in stroke.Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme · 2021Trial
- Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation enhances strength training volume but not the force-velocity profile.European journal of applied physiology · 2020Trial
- Increased leg muscle fatigability during 2 mA and 4 mA transcranial direct current stimulation over the left motor cortex.Experimental brain research · 2020Trial
- Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of motor cortex enhances running performance.PloS one · 2019Trial
- Trial
- Transcranial direct current stimulation to enhance athletic performance outcome in experienced bodybuilders.PloS one · 2019Trial
- The Influence of Dual Source Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Muscle Fatigue.Journal of functional morphology and kinesiology · 2026Article
- Pushing athletic performance boundaries with anodal transcranial direct current stimulation: an exploratory, pilot, randomized controlled study on strength and inflammation in elite weightlifters.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Anodal HD-tDCS attenuates forearm muscle fatigue via enhanced beta-band corticomuscular coherence.Experimental brain research · 2026Article
- The Effectiveness of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Improving Performance in Soccer Players-A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The physical limits of the human performance have been the object of study for a considerable time. Most of the research has focused on the locomotor muscles, lungs, and heart. As a consequence, much of the contemporary literature has ignored the importance of the brain in the regulation of exercise performance. With the introduction and development of new non-invasive devices, the knowledge regarding the behavior of the central nervous system during exercise has advanced. A first step has been provided from studies involving neuroimaging techniques where the role of specific brain areas have been identified during isolated muscle or whole-body exercise. Furthermore, a new interesting approach has been provided by studies involving non-invasive techniques to manipulate specific brain areas. These techniques most commonly involve the use of an electrical or magnetic field crossing the brain. In this regard, there has been emerging literature demonstrating the possibility to influence exercise outcomes in healthy people following stimulation of specific brain areas. Specifically, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been recently used prior to exercise in order to improve exercise performance under a wide range of exercise types. In this review article, we discuss the evidence provided from experimental studies involving tDCS. The aim of this review is to provide a critical analysis of the experimental studies investigating the application of tDCS prior to exercise and how it influences brain function and performance. Finally, we provide a critical opinion of the usage of tDCS for exercise enhancement. This will consequently progress the current knowledge base regarding the effect of tDCS on exercise and provides both a methodological and theoretical foundation on which future research can be based.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.