AUTHOR=Lu Panpan , Hanson Nicholas J. , Wen Lin , Guo Feng , Tian Xiaoyu TITLE=Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Enhances Muscle Strength of Non-dominant Knee in Healthy Young Males JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology VOLUME=12 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2021.788719 DOI=10.3389/fphys.2021.788719 ISSN=1664-042X ABSTRACT=
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been applied in training and competition, but its effects on physical performance remain largely unknown. This study aimed to observe the effect of tDCS on muscular strength and knee activation. Nineteen healthy young men were subjected to 20 min of real stimulation (2 mA) and sham stimulation (0 mA) over the primary motor cortex (M1) bilaterally on different days. The maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of the knee extensors and flexors, and surface electromyography (sEMG) of the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) were recorded before, immediately after, and 30 min after stimulation. MVC, rate of force development (RFD), and sEMG activity were analyzed before and after each condition. MVC of the non-dominant leg extensor and flexor was significantly higher immediately after real stimulation and 30 min after stimulation than before, and MVC of the non-dominant leg flexor was significantly higher 30 min after real stimulation than that after sham stimulation (