Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (Dec 2022)

Anodal high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation reduces heart rate and modulates heart-rate variability in healthy young people: A randomized cross-controlled trial

  • Zhongke Gu,
  • Wenxiang Chen,
  • Qian Lu,
  • Jiansong Dai,
  • Shugang Hu,
  • Kai Xu,
  • Yao Geng,
  • Ye Zhu,
  • Boqing Xu,
  • Wenjun Dai,
  • Ying Shen

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcvm.2022.1070157
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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ObjectiveTo investigate whether anodal high-definition transcranial current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex (DLPFC) could modulate the heart rate (HR) and heart-rate variability (HRV) in healthy young people.MethodsForty healthy young people were enrolled in this randomized crossover trial. The participants were randomized to receive anodal HD-tDCS (n = 20) or sham HD-tDCS (n = 20) over the left DLPFC with a washout period of 1 week. Electrocardiogram (ECG) data were continuously recorded 20 min before the stimulation, during the session (20 min), and 20 min after the session. HR and the time- and frequency-domain indices of the HRV were measured to investigate the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.ResultsAnodal HD-tDCS over the left DLPFC induced a significant decrease in HR and a significant increase in the average of normal-to-normal intervals (AVG NN), low-frequency (LF) power, total power (TP), and LF/high-frequency (HF) ratio in comparison with the sham stimulation and the baseline. However, sham HD-tDCS over the left DLPFC had no significant effect on HR or HRV.ConclusionsAnodal HD-tDCS over the left DLPFC could reduce HR and modulate the HRV in healthy young people. HD-tDCS may show some potential for acutely modulating cardiovascular function.

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