Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on psychophysiological responses to maximal incremental exercise test in recreational endurance runners Carlo Baldari, Cosme F. Buzzachera, Marcelo Vitor-Costa, Juliano M. Gabardo, Andrea G. Bernardes, Leandro R. Altimari, Laura Guidetti Frontiers in Psychology, 2018 Previous studies have suggested that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) might improve exercise performance and alter psychophysiological responses to exercise. However, it is presently unknown whether this simple technique has similar (or greater) effects on running performance. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to test the hypothesis that, compared with sham and cathodal tDCS, anodal tDCS applied over the M1 region would attenuate perception of effort, improve affective valence, and enhance exercise tolerance, regardless of changes in physiological responses, during maximal incremental exercise. In a double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced design, 13 healthy recreational endurance runners, aged 20-42 years, volunteered to participate in this study. On three separate occasions, the subjects performed an incremental ramp exercise test from rest to volitional exhaustion on a motor-driven treadmill following 20-min of brain stimulation with either placebo tDCS (sham) or real tDCS (cathodal and anodal). Breath-by-breath pulmonary gas exchange and ventilation and indices of muscle hemodynamics and oxygenation were collected continuously during the ramp exercise test. Ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and affective valence in response to the ramp exercise test were also measured. Compared with sham, neither anodal tDCS nor cathodal tDCS altered the physiological responses to exercise (P > 0.05). Similarly, RPE and affective responses during the incremental ramp exercise test did not differ between the three experimental conditions at any time (P > 0.05). The exercise tolerance was also not significantly different following brain stimulation with either sham (533 46 s) or real tDCS (anodal tDCS: 530 44 s, and cathodal tDCS: 537 40 s; P > 0.05). These results demonstrate that acute tDCS applied over the M1 region did not alter physiological responses, perceived exertion, affective valence, or exercise performance in recreational endurance runners.
Improving cycling performance: Transcranial direct current stimulation increases time to exhaustion in cycling Marcelo Vitor-Costa, Nilo Massaru Okuno, Henrique Bortolotti, Maurizio Bertollo, Paulo Sergio Boggio, Felipe Fregni, Leandro Ricardo Altimari Plos One, 2015 The central nervous system seems to have an important role in fatigue and exercise tolerance. Novel noninvasive techniques of neuromodulation can provide insights on the relationship between brain function and exercise performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on physical performance and physiological and perceptual variables with regard to fatigue and exercise tolerance. Eleven physically active subjects participated in an incremental test on a cycle simulator to define peak power output. During 3 visits, the subjects experienced 3 stimulation conditions (anodal, cathodal, or sham tDCS-with an interval of at least 48 h between conditions) in a randomized, counterbalanced order to measure the effects of tDCS on time to exhaustion at 80% of peak power. Stimulation was administered before each test over 13 min at a current intensity of 2.0 mA. In each session, the Brunel Mood State questionnaire was given twice: after stimulation and after the time-to-exhaustion test. Further, during the tests, the electromyographic activity of the vastus lateralis and rectus femoris muscles, perceived exertion, and heart rate were recorded. RM-ANOVA showed that the subjects performed better during anodal primary motor cortex stimulation (491 ± 100 s) compared with cathodal stimulation (443 ± 11 s) and sham (407 ± 69 s). No significant difference was observed between the cathodal and sham conditions. The effect sizes confirmed the greater effect of anodal M1 tDCS (anodal x cathodal = 0.47; anodal x sham = 0.77; and cathodal x sham = 0.29). Magnitude-based inference suggested the anodal condition to be positive versus the cathodal and sham conditions. There were no differences among the three stimulation conditions in RPE (p = 0.07) or heart rate (p = 0.73). However, as hypothesized, RM- ANOVA revealed a main effect of time for the two variables (RPE and HR: p < 0.001). EMG activity also did not differ during the test accross the different conditions. We conclude that anodal tDCS increases exercise tolerance in a cycling-based, constant-load exercise test, performed at 80% of peak power. Performance was enhanced in the absence of changes in physiological and perceptual variables.
Performance during a 20-km cycling time-trial after caffeine ingestion Henrique Bortolotti, Leandro Ricardo Altimari, Marcelo Vitor-Costa, Edilson Serpeloni Cyrino Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2014 BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of caffeine ingestion on the performance and physiological variables associated with fatigue in 20-km cycling time trials. METHODS: In a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover study, 13 male cyclists (26 ± 10 y, 71 ± 9 kg, 176 ± 6 cm) were randomized into 2 groups and received caffeine (CAF) capsules (6 mg.kg(-1)) or placebo (PLA) 60 min before performing 20-km time trials. Distance, speed, power, rpm, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), electromyography (EMG) of the quadriceps muscles and heart rate (HR) were continuously measured during the tests. In addition, BRUMS questionnaire was applied before and after the tests. RESULTS: Significant interactions were found in power and speed (P = 0.001), which were significantly higher at the end of the test (final 2 km) after CAF condition. A main effect of time (P = 0.001) was observed for RPE and HR, which increased linearly until the end of exercise in both conditions. The time taken to complete the test was similar in both conditions (PLA = 2191 ± 158 s vs. CAF = 2181 ± 194 s, P = 0.61). No significant differences between CAF and PLA conditions were identified for speed, power, rpm, RPE, EMG, HR, and BRUMS (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that caffeine intake 60 min before 20-km time trials has no effect on the performance or physiological responses of cyclists.
Mouth rinse with carbohydrate drink and performance: Hypothesis of its central action International Sportmed Journal, 2014
The correlation between heart rate variability and improvement in soccer player's physical performance Ricardo Santos Oliveira, Rafael Evangelista Pedro, Vinicius Flávio Milanez, Henrique Bortolotti, Marcelo Vitor-Costa, Fábio Yuzo Nakamura Revista Brasileira De Cineantropometria E Desempenho Humano, 2012 The aim of this study was to analyze whether the heart rate variability (HRV), assessed at the beginning of a soccer preseason, reveals a correlation with the improvement of physical performance over this training period. Ten soccer players took part in the study. Their performance was evaluated by the following tests: the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test, Level 1(Yo-Yo IR1); the 30-m sprint time, and the vertical jump; all were conducted before and after six weeks of pre-season. The HRV measurements were performed at rest in the supine position for ten minutes. The Spearman Rank Correlation test was used to investigate any possible relationship between HRV and improvements in performance, while the Student’s t-test verified the changes in both performance and HRV. The Magnitude-Based Inferences approach (qualitative analysis) was applied to verify the possibilities of the observed values being positive, negative or inconclusive. There were significant improvements in Yo-Yo IR1 performance (P< 0.001) and in the 30-m sprint time (P< 0.001). The qualitative analysis revealed that the differences in Yo-Yo IR1 performance were very likely positive, were almost certainly positive for the sprint, but were inconclusive for the vertical jump. There was a strong correlation between one parasympathetic index and the change in performance [r = 0.85 P = 0.003 (IC95% = 0.49 – 0.97)]. In conclusion, this study revealed a strong correlation between parasympathetic indices of HRV (analyzed before the training) with the performance improvement in Yo-Yo IR1 in football athletes during pre-season.
EMG spectral analysis of incremental exercise in cyclists and non-cyclists using fourier and wavelet transforms Marcelo Vitor da Costa, Henrique Bortolotti, Thiago Viana Camata, Jefferson Rosa Cardoso, Rubens Da Silva, Taufik Abrão, Antonio Moraes, Leandro Altimari Revista Brasileira De Cineantropometria E Desempenho Humano, 2012 1,5 Abstract - The aim of this study was to compare the electromyographic indices of fatigue (slope of median frequency) calculated with the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and wavelet transform (WT) in trained and untrained individuals during cycle exercise. A second objective was to compare the variance of the spectral parameters (median frequency - MF) obtained by the FFT and WT during exercise. Twelve cyclists and non-cyclists performed a maximal incremental test to determine the peak power (W p ) and electromyographic activity of the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), semitendinous (ST) and tibialis anterior (TA). Mean values of median frequency, determined by the FFT and WT, were used for the spectral analysis of the electromyographic signals of the studied muscles. The analyzed parameters were obtained for each time period corresponding to 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of total duration of the maximal incremental test. No statistically significant differences were found in the values of MF and electromyographic indices of fatigue between the two techniques (FT and WT) both in the cyclists and non-cyclists group (P>0.05). Regarding the MF variance, statistically significant differences were found in all analyzed muscles, as well as in different time periods, both in the cyclists and non-cyclists groups when comparing the FFT and WT techniques (P<0.05). The WT seems to be more adequate to dynamic tasks, since it does not require the signal to be quasi-stationary, unlike the limitation imposed upon the use of the FFT.
Transcranial direct current stimulation as an ergogenic aid: A new perspective in sport Marcelo Vitor-Costa, Lucas Adriano Pereira, Rafael Ayres Montenegro, Alexandre Hideki Okano, Leandro Ricardo Altimari Revista Da Educacao Fisica, 2012 Nas duas últimas décadas tem-se verificado um considerável aumento no interesse de um grande número de pesquisadores em investigar o potencial de diferentes recursos ergogênicos que possam contribuir na melhoria do desempenho físico de atletas de diferentes modalidades. Grande parte dos estudos tem focado os mecanismos subjacentes ao desenvolvimento da fadiga, pelo fato de que este fenômeno complexo é considerado um fator limitante do desempenho esportivo. Sendo assim, recursos ergogênicos que são eficientes em protelar o desenvolvimento da fadiga podem melhorar o desempenho esportivo. Apesar de haver muitas discussões sobre a fadiga, sua causa exata ainda é um assunto controverso. Apesar disso, tem sido sugerido que mecanismos corticais podem estar envolvidos e que estudos sobre a modulação de regiões cerebrais específicas podem trazer respostas valiosas para entender melhor este fenômeno. Atualmente, a estimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua (ETCC) vem sendo utilizada como uma ferramenta não invasiva capaz de modular a excitabilidade de regiões específicas do córtex cerebral. Dados preliminares têm demonstrado que a ETCC anódica é capaz de aumentar a excitabilidade do córtex motor por até uma hora após sua aplicação, e também aumentar o tempo até em exercício isométrico até à exaustão. Estes dados sugerem ser provável que a ETCC possa ser utilizada como uma ferramenta em pesquisas sobre mecanismos envolvidos no desenvolvimento da fadiga e, talvez, como um possível recurso ergogênico para atletas.
Carbohydrate mouth rinse: An ergogenic aid able of optimizing the performance Henrique Bortolotti, Leandro Ricardo Altimari, Marcelo Vitor-Costa, Edilson Serpeloni Cyrino Revista Brasileira De Cineantropometria E Desempenho Humano, 2011 Studies have shown that the mere presence of carbohydrate in the human mouth promotes the activation of some specific brain regions, with a positive i mpact on physical performance. Thus, the strategy of carbohydrate mouth rinse has been recently adopted with success in strenuous exercise (> 70% VO2max) lasting approximately 60 min. In this respect, the objective of this study was to discuss, based on literature data, the efficacy of this strategy to improve physical performance, as well as the possible mechanisms involved. The results produced, although still preliminary, are promising and led us to believe that carbohydrate mouth rinse is an interesting strategy, especially because of its easy application, low cost and good efficacy in improving physical performance during intense and prolonged physical exercise.
