Uso da eletroestimulação transcraniana no contexto do esporte: um revisão sistemática da literatura

Abstract

Introduction: In the increasingly competitive sporting scenario, the pressure to overcome limitations in physical and cognitive performance is constant. Transcranial direct current electrical stimulation (tDCS) has been associated with improvements in several areas of performance, such as cognitive function, jumping and muscle strength, although there are few studies related to its applicability. Objective: To provide an updated and comprehensive analysis on the use of tDCS, presenting a current overview of knowledge in the sports area. Methodology: This is a systematic review of the literature, under registration PROSPERO CRD42023471749, including studies that used tDCS in the context of sport. The databases used were PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, CINAHL, SciELO and Cochrane Library. The selected studies must have been published in any period of time and with access to the full text in English or Portuguese. Results: 393 articles were identified in the searches carried out; Among these, 48 studies were removed due to duplication, 257 were excluded based on titles, 33 studies were eliminated after reading the abstracts, 55 were selected for full reading and 31 studies were selected to compose the final sample. The studies presented good methodological quality, however there was a large variation in relation to intervention protocols, researched performance variables and sports modalities. Conclusion: tDCS is capable of optimizing muscular endurance, reaction time and recovery. However, there is a need for more robust and replicable studies to confirm the effects of tDCS in the sporting context.