title: Transcranial direct current stimulation influences the cardiac autonomic nervous control.
abstract: To investigate whether the manipulation of brain excitability by transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) modulates the heart rate variability (HRV), the effect of tDCS applied at rest on the left temporal lobe in athletes (AG) and non-athletes (NAG) was evaluated. The HRV parameters (natural logarithms of LF, HF, and LF/HF) was assessed in 20 healthy men before, and immediately after tDCS and sham stimulation. After anodal tDCS in AG the parasympathetic activity (HF(log)) increased (P<0.01) and the sympathetic activity (LF(log)) and sympatho-vagal balance (LF/HF(log)) decreased (P<0.01), whereas no significant effects were detected in NAG (P>0.05). No significant changes in HRV indexes were provoked by sham stimulation in both AG and NAG (P>0.05). In conclusion, tDCS applied on the left temporal lobe significantly increased the overall HRV in AG, enhancing the parasympathetic and decreasing the sympathetic modulation of heart rate. Consequently the sympatho-vagal balance decreased at rest in AG but not in NAG. Releasing a weak electric current to stimulate selected brain areas may induce favorable effects on the autonomic control to the heart in highly fit subjects.
authors.affiliation: Research Group of Integrative Biology of Exercise (GEPEBIEX), Physical Education Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rafael Ayres
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Montenegro
authors.forename: Paulo de Tarso Veras
authors.initials: Pde T
authors.lastname: Farinatti
authors.forename: Eduardo Bodnariuc
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Fontes
authors.forename: Pedro Paulo da Silva
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Soares
authors.forename: Felipe Amorim da
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.forename: Jonas Lírio
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Gurgel
authors.forename: Flávia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Porto
authors.forename: Edilson Serpeloni
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Cyrino
authors.forename: Alexandre Hideki
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Okano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology*