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:10.3389/fcvm.2022.1070157

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

Front Cardiovasc Med. 2022 Dec 2:9:1070157. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1070157. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Zhongke Gu¹, Wenxiang Chen², Qian Lu³, Jiansong Dai¹, Shugang Hu⁴, Kai Xu¹, Yao Geng⁵, Ye Zhu⁵, Boqing Xu⁵, Wenjun Dai⁵, Ying Shen⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Nanjing Sport Institute, Nanjing, China.
² Department of Rehabilitation, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
³ Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The Affiliated Jiangsu Shengze Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Suzhou, China.
⁴ Department of Rehabilitation, The Affiliated Jiangning Hospital With Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.
⁵ Rehabilitation Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Abstract

Objective: To 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.

Methods: Forty 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.

Results: Anodal 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.

Conclusions: Anodal 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.

Keywords: cardiac rhythm; dorsolateral pre-frontal cortex; heart rate; heart-rate variability; high-definition transcranial current stimulation.