O efeito da eletroestimulação transcraniana por corrente contínua no controle inibitório e no desempenho físico de atletas de rugby em cadeira de rodas

Abstract

Wheelchair rugby (WCR) is a relatively new sport and there are still few specific studies in this field, hence there is fundamental necessity for advances in assessment and training methods for the evolution of this sport. Nowadays, research has shown that transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) has a positive effect on physical performance and also on different clinical conditions. The present study and uncontrolled cross-over clinical trial related and put together WCR and the TDCS technique aiming to investigate and find answers about the effect of the stimulation method on the inhibitory control and physical performance of WCR athletes. The sample consisted of ten WCR athletes, men and women, aged between 16 and 46, with incomplete high spinal cord injury (C4, C5, C6, C7) or quadriplegia and at least six months of systematic practice, training and games that do not present any type of brain damage that compromises the cognitive functions. In a controlled environment, the 10 athletes, after resting for 10 minutes seated in the wheelchair, were submitted to an anodic TDCS (in drawn counterbalanced order) or placebo / sham, 2mA / 20 min, followed by a specific test to evaluate the inhibitory control - Stroop Test -, a physical performance test (12 minutes) for wheelchair users and than 5 minute rest. The study attested that the anodic TDCS stimulation of the F3 region of the prefrontal cortex is a technique that can improve the inhibitory control of wheelchair rugby athletes. In the third phase of Stroop Test, in sham condition the mean and standard deviation values were, respectively, 19.3 ± 6s. While in the anodic condition were 16.9 ± 6s, considering that the significance found was p = 0.025. And with the same ETCC protocol, research has shown that the physical performance of RCR athletes in the physical test did not improve after stimulation