| Boosting Soccer Perceptual-cognitive Skills: tDCS of the DLPFC Enhances Anticipation Accuracy |
| Paper ID : 1219-SPORTCONGRESS (R1) |
| Authors |
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محمدمهدی کریمی1, علیرضت فارسی2, مهین عقدایی3, Maryam Khalaji *4 1گروه علوم رفتاری و شناختی در ورزش، دانشکده علوم ورزشی و تندرستی، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران 2گروه علوم شناختی و رفتاری و فناوری در ورزش، دانشکده علوم ورزشی و تندرستی، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران 3گروه علوم شناختی و رفتاری و فناوری در ورزش، دانشکده علوم ورزشی و تندرستی، دانشگاه شهید بهشتی، تهران 4Department of Sport Coaching, Faculty of Sport Sciences and Health, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Introduction: Previous research has established the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) as a key brain area for anticipation processes (Liu et al., 2025). While Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) applied to the DLPFC has been demonstrated to improve cognitive capabilities, its specific role in the context of sports, particularly soccer, remains underexplored (Qi et al., 2025; Shiravand et al., 2024). Consequently, the precise function of the DLPFC in the accuracy of soccer-specific anticipation is not yet well-defined. To address this gap, this study employed an experimental design to investigate the effect of tDCS over the DLPFC on anticipation in soccer players. The research involved bilateral DLPFC stimulation applied to semi-expert players, aiming to assess the intervention's effect on anticipation Methods: A total of thirty-two participants aged 16-18 years old, comprising 16 experimental and 16 control soccer players, were randomly assigned to one of two groups: tDCS and control groups. A video-based anticipation task, consisting of 20 experimental trials and two practice trials, was administered immediately before and after the stimulation protocol while participants were seated. Results: A significant interaction between the experimental and control group was found (p<.05). The comparison of means percentage of anticipation revealed that only the experimental group (73.18±8.32) exhibited a significant enhancement in anticipation accuracy, rather than the control group (61.48±8.76). Conclusion: The results provide the first demonstration that tDCS can enhance anticipation accuracy in semi-expert soccer players, establishing a causal role for the DLPFC in soccer-related cognitive performance (Zhang 2025, Liu et al., 2025; Shiravand et al., 2024). |
| Keywords |
| Motor planning, Performance, Neural efficiency |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Oral Presentation) |
