| Effectiveness Of TDCS on Cognitive Flexibility and Sport-Specific Decision Making in Sprinters: A Randomized Controlled Trial |
| Paper ID : 1196-SPORTCONGRESS |
| Authors |
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Farimah Mahinpour * Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) has gained substantial attention as a non-invasive neuromodulatory technique capable of enhancing executive functions in athletes. Cognitive flexibility, which underpins adaptive decision-making in dynamic sports contexts, is particularly critical for sprint performance. However, empirical evidence evaluating the combined effect of tDCS on cognitive flexibility and sport-specific decision-making in competitive sprinters remains limited. This study investigates the efficacy of ten-session anodal tDCS applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in modulating these cognitive outcomes. Methods: A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted with 24 competitive sprinters (ages 18–25), randomly assigned to tDCS (n=12) or sham-control (n=12) groups. The intervention comprised ten 20-minute anodal tDCS sessions targeting the left DLPFC across two weeks. Cognitive flexibility was assessed via the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and sport-specific decision-making was evaluated using a validated sprint-decision task. Pre- and post-intervention outcomes were analyzed with mixed-design ANOVA (α = 0.05). Results: Participants receiving tDCS demonstrated a significant improvement in WCST categories completed (Δmean = 2.8 ± 0.6) compared to the sham group (Δmean = 0.9 ± 0.5; p < 0.01). Sport-specific decision-making accuracy also increased markedly in the tDCS group (Δmean = 15.3% ± 3.1) relative to controls (Δmean = 4.2% ± 2.7; p < 0.01). No adverse effects were reported during or after stimulation. Conclusion: Ten-session anodal tDCS targeting the left DLPFC effectively enhances cognitive flexibility and sport-specific decision-making in competitive sprinters. These findings support the integration of neuromodulation strategies within sports psychology interventions to optimize high-performance outcomes. |
| Keywords |
| tDCS, cognitive flexibility, decision-making, sprinters, DLPFC |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Oral Presentation) |
