the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation on dynamic balance after an endurance exhausting activity in mental fatigue condition

Background: anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tdcs) is a new neuro-modulatory technique.aim: this study aimed to investigate the effect of a-tdcs on dynamic balance after exhaustion.material and methods: fifteen endurance-trained men voluntarily attended five separate sessions. in the first session, maximal aerobic speed (mas) was measured. then, the participants were randomly assigned to four different conditions: 1. mental fatigue (mf)+a-tdcs, 2. mf+sham (s-tdcs), 3. a-tdcs, and 4. s-tdcs. in each session, after dynamic balance measurement, the participants were exposed to the conditions and received 20 min of anodal tdcs over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlpfc). then, the participants performed a submaximal endurance activity at 70% of mas until exhaustion. immediately after exhaustion, dynamic balance was measured again.results: after exhaustion, the dynamic balance of the right leg under the a-tdcs condition was significantly higher than the mf+s-tdcs (p= 0.008). the dynamic balance significantly decreased from pre- to post-test in mf+s-tdcs and s-tdcs conditions (p= 0.0001). in the left leg, the dynamic balance under the a-tdcs condition was significantly higher than mf+s-tdcs (p= 0.025).conclusions: anodal stimulation of the dlpfc could be beneficial for the dynamic balance and may have a protective effect against the negative consequence of exhausting activity on the dynamic balance in endurance-trained men.