SynthesisScientific reports2026
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.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
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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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
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Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This meta-analysis evaluated the effects of single-session anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on cognitive and motor performance in athletes and healthy adults. Following PRISMA guidelines, 33 randomized controlled trials published between 2015 and 2025 were synthesized. Single-session a-tDCS was associated with significant improvements in overall motor performance, though substantial heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 62.10%). Strength performance demonstrated the most robust gains (ES = 0.93), followed by explosive power (ES = 0.61) and endurance (ES = 0.41). Conversely, the aggregate effect on cognitive performance—primarily involving the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)—was trivial and non-significant (ES = 0.28, p = 0.09, I2 = 90.86%). Subgroup analyses revealed that athletes exhibited significantly higher motor responsiveness (ES = 1.03) compared to healthy adults (ES = 0.41), suggesting a potential “neural advantage” in highly trained populations. Dose-response analysis indicated that intensities ≥ 2 mA and durations ≥ 20 min may optimize intervention efficacy. Single-session a-tDCS appears to be an effective aid for motor performance—specifically strength and power—but provides negligible immediate cognitive benefits. The superior responsiveness in athletes suggests elite baseline neural states may amplify neuromodulation effects, though high heterogeneity necessitates a cautious, individualized approach to application.
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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.