Prefrontal coherence in the delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands in response to cathodic high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation in professional basketball players during preparation for free-throw shooting bouts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17267/2965-3738bis.2025.e6265Keywords:
Neuromodulation, Functional Connectivity, Spectral Frequencies, Qualitative EEG, Team-sportsAbstract
INTRODUCTION: Cathodic high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS has been shown to modulate cerebral activity. OBJECTIVES: This study examined if cathodic high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) could modulate cortical coherence during the preparation for free-throw shooting in professional female basketball players. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The cortical activity was measured using electroencephalography (EEG) and the spectral bands δ (0.5–≤4 Hz), theta θ (>4–≤8 Hz), alpha α (>8–≤13 Hz), and beta β (>13–≤30 Hz) were analyzed. Only successful free throws (n = 1,893) were considered. Multi-channel HD-tDCS (cathodic and sham) was applied for 20 minutes prior to bouts of shooting. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: For FP1-F3 (channels) coherence, there was an interaction effect for delta (F = 5.93; p = 0.03), theta (F = 11.38; p = 0.008), alpha (F = 15.33; p = 0.004), but not for beta band (F = 0.875; p = 0.37). The post-hoc analysis revealed significant differences between post-cathodic HD-tDCS and pre-cathodic HD-tDCS, and post-cathodic HD-tDCS and post-sham HD-tDCS. These differences were due to increases in these spectral bands’ coherence following the cathodic stimulation. No changes or differences in coherence were observed for other pairs of channels regardless of the HD-tDCS condition. These findings suggest that the effects are relatively focal, inducing changes primarily in the left pre-frontal hemisphere while preserving inter-hemispheric connectivity.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Luciane Aparecida Moscaleski, Alexandre Hideki Okano, Edgard Morya, André Fonseca, Luccas da Cunha Laste, Marom Bikson, Ryland Morgans, Alexandre Moreira
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
