What type of study is this?

This is a Meta-Analysis study (also classified as: Systematic Review).

August 16, 2025Open Access

Meta-analysis of the acute effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on athletic performance

MJMi JiangCentral South University YLYang LiuShanghai University of Sport XGXu GaoFirst Hospital of China Medical University

Key Points

Anodal tDCS significantly improved athletic performance, particularly in endurance and collaborative skills, indicating its potential in sports training.
Results from 31 studies with 473 athletes reveal a moderate effect size (SMD = 0.39), emphasizing the importance of stimulation parameters.
M1 and PFC stimulation showed the most consistent effects, guiding athletes in optimizing their performance-enhancement protocols.
Optimal parameters for anodal tDCS suggest a current intensity of 1.6–2.0 mA and a duration of 16–20 minutes to maximize benefits.

Abstract

Objective Systematically evaluate the acute effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) on athletes’ sport-specific performance and identify the optimal stimulation parameters and target brain regions for enhancing sport-specific performance. Methods Search PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and other databases to include randomized controlled trials studying the effects of anodal tDCS on sports performance in healthy athletes. Use a random-effects model to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD), assess heterogeneity, and evaluate influencing factors. Additionally, conduct three subgroup analyses: (1) based on stimulated brain areas (M1, PFC, TC, CB) ; (2) based on different sports performance domains (endurance, strength, precision skill tasks, competitive-collaborative skills) for cluster analysis; (3) tDCS protocol parameters (current intensity and stimulation duration). Results This study included 31 articles, covering 473 athletes. The meta-analysis results showed that the acute effect of a-tDCS significantly improved athletes’ specific sports performance, with a moderate effect size (SMD = 0. 39, 95% CI = 0. 23–0. 54, p 0. 001). Subgroup analysis revealed that M1 stimulation had the most consistent effect (SMD = 0. 32, 95% CI = 0. 15–0. 48, p 0. 001), followed by PFC stimulation (SMD = 0. 39, 95% CI = 0. 03–0. 76, p = 0. 03). a-tDCS significantly enhanced athletes’ endurance performance (SMD = 0. 46, 95% CI = 0. 20–0. 72, p 0. 001) and competitive-collaborative skill tasks (SMD = 0. 45, 95% CI = 0. 10–0. 80, p = 0. 01). Analysis of stimulation parameters indicated that a moderate current intensity of 1. 6–2. 0 mA (SMD = 0. 38, p 0. 001) and a stimulation duration of 16–20 min (SMD = 0. 45, p 0. 001) were the optimal protocols for enhancing sports performance. Conclusion The acute effects of a-tDCS significantly enhance athletes’ endurance and competitive-collaborative skill performance, particularly when targeting the M1 and PFC regions. The optimal stimulation protocol involves a moderate current intensity (1. 6–2. 0 mA) and duration (16–20 min). Future research should further optimize stimulation parameters and explore long-term effects to enhance the application of a-tDCS in sports training. Systematic Review Registration https: //www. crd. york. ac. uk/prospero/displayᵣecord. php? RecordID=103158, identifier CRD42025103158.

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