Efeito da estimulação elétrica transcraniana na ansiedade aguda e desempenho cognitivo de atletas

• Ano de defesa: 2019
• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Rafael Vieira
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Palavras-chave em Português: Ansiedade; Estimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua; Função executiva; Atletas; Cognição
• Link de acesso: https://repositorio.animaeducacao.com.br/handle/ANIMA/3003

Anxiety is present at various times of sporting competitions and pre-training, limiting athletes' performance as well as affecting their lives off the field. Regarding the brain areas involved in anxiety symptoms, the role of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is highlighted, as it is related to cognitive functions, selective attention, working memory, decision making, including emotional behavior, empathy, humor and anxiety. Over time, different therapeutic strategies have emerged, such as medications, psychotherapies and brain neuromodulation techniques, in order to improve anxiety and executive functions. Among the techniques of cerebral neuromodulation, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been the subject of research in the last years because it is a non-invasive technique, low cost and good tolerability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of tDCS on the symptoms of acute anxiety and cognitive performance in soccer players athletes. An experimental study was carried out using 23 athletes soccer players with symptoms of anxiety. Participants were randomly randomized to receive anodic tDCS or sham tDCS. The anodic stimulation was performed on the left DLPFC and the cathode positioned in the right DLPFC, with current intensity of 2 mA, for 20 minutes on 7 consecutive days and later on the fourteenth day. Anxiety symptoms were assessed by the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A) and cognitive performance was assessed using the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) and the Trail Making Test (TMT). Statistical analysis was expressed in measures of central tendency, Student t test and Spearman correlation coefficient. Statistical significance was set at p <0.05. The results pointed out that more anxious individuals presented worse cognitive performance. No significant differences were observed between the anodic tDCS group and the sham tDCS with regard to decreased anxiety symptoms and improved cognitive performance. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that there is an inverse correlation between anxiety and inhibitory control, ie, the higher the anxious symptoms the worse the cognitive performance. The anodic tDCS showed no superiority in decreasing anxiety symptoms as well as improving the cognitive performance of anxious subjects when compared to the sham tDCS group. Future research is needed to evaluate the real benefits in anxious individuals and to improve cognitive performance with the use of tDCS as a brain neuromodulation technique.