Publications by authors named "Alexandre Okano"

Gonçalves, DS, Moscaleski, LA, da Silva, GM, Morgans, R, Okano, AH, and Moreira, A. The effect of combined transcranial direct current stimulation and pneumatic compression as part of a comprehensive recovery strategy in professional male top-level soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 38(9): 1658-1666, 2024-This retrospective study aimed to examine the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with lower limb pneumatic compression during the postmatch recovery period in top-level professional male soccer players' physiological and perceptual markers of recovery status.

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Background: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a globally prevalent pathogen, with outbreaks occurring in tropical regions. Chronic pain is the main symptom reported and is associated with decreased mobility and disability. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is emerging as a new therapeutic tool for chronic arthralgia.

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We aimed to investigate the influence of interoceptive accuracy on affective valence, arousal, and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during 20 minutes of aerobic exercise at both moderate and heavy intensity among physically inactive men. We divided our participant sample into men with poor heartbeat perception (PHP, = 13) and good heartbeat perception (GHP, = 15), based on their cardioceptive accuracy. We measured their heart rate reserve (%HR), perceived affective valence (Feeling Scale; +5/-5), perceived arousal (Felt Arousal Scale, 0-6), and ratings of perceived effort (RPE; Borg scale 6-20) every five minutes during an exercise session on a bicycle ergometer.

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Purpose: This study investigated the acute effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (a-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on appetite, energy intake, food preferences, and mood states in the luteal and follicular phases of the menstrual cycle in women presenting premenstrual syndrome.

Methods: Sixteen women (26.5 ± 5.

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Article Synopsis
  • The chikungunya virus is causing a significant public health issue in Brazil, particularly in the Northeast region, where chronic pain affects over 60% of infected individuals for years.
  • This study aims to test the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in reducing pain and improving muscle strength, functionality, and quality of life in those suffering from chronic arthralgia through a structured clinical trial.
  • The trial involves 40 participants randomized to receive either active or sham tDCS treatment over 10 sessions, with evaluations at multiple intervals to track changes in pain levels and other health outcomes.
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Article Synopsis
  • * A study investigated the readiness and barriers of tES for digital trials by gathering insights from specialists and companies, resulting in Delphi-based recommendations with a strong agreement on the benefits of tES, like safety and affordability, but also highlighting concerns about supervision and regulatory clarity.
  • * Overall, while tES holds potential for broader application in digital trials, there is a lack of consensus on addressing specific methodological biases, leading to the proposal of a framework to better integrate mobile health technologies with the
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Differentiated brain activation in high-performance athletes supports neuronal mechanisms relevant to sports performance. Preparation for the motor action involves cortical and sub-cortical regions that can be non-invasively modulated by electrical current stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the effect of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on electrical brain activity in professional female basketball players during free-throw shooting.

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The negative effect of prolonged cognitive demands on psychomotor skills in athletes has been demonstrated. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could be used to mitigate this effect. This study examined the effects of tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during a 30-min inhibitory Stroop task on cognitive and shooting performances of professional female basketball players.

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Clinical impact of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) alone for Parkinson's disease (PD) is still a challenge. Thus, there is a need to synthesize available results, analyze methodologically and statistically, and provide evidence to guide tDCS in PD. Investigate isolated tDCS effect in different brain areas and number of stimulated targets on PD motor symptoms.

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Objective: To investigate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) associated with functional exercise on pain, functional performance, psychological symptoms, and quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia (FM).

Design: Randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized by blocks into 2 groups: tDCS associated with functional exercise (n=17) and sham-tDCS associated with functional exercise (n=14).

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Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been used aiming to boost exercise performance and inconsistent findings have been reported. One possible explanation is related to the limitations of the so-called "conventional" tDCS, which uses large rectangular electrodes, resulting in a diffuse electric field. A new tDCS technique called high-definition tDCS (HD-tDCS) has been recently developed.

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This study investigated the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) combined with a recovery training session on the well-being and self-perceived recovery of professional female soccer players after official matches. Data from 13 world-class players were analyzed after participating in four official soccer matches of the first division of the Brazilian Women's Soccer Championship (7-, 10-, and 13-day intervals). We applied anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with 2 mA for 20 minutes (+F3/-F4 montage) the day after each match.

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Background: Since people with Parkinson disease (PD) rely on limited prefrontal executive resources for the control of gait, interventions targeting the prefrontal cortex (PFC) may help in managing PD-related gait impairments. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be used to modulate PFC excitability and improve prefrontal cognitive functions and gait.

Objective: We investigated the effects of adding anodal tDCS applied over the PFC to a session of aerobic exercise on gait, cognition, and PFC activity while walking in people with PD.

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Background: Due to the quarantine caused by the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), professional team-sports adapted their training routine to maintain the athletes' performance and minimize the negative emotional effects. The aim of the present study was to describe a home-based training program and extra-activities applied during the quarantine in elite professional female basketball players, and to compare the internal training load (ITL), session rating of perceived exertion (s-RPE), motivation, and wellbeing responses before and during the quarantine.

Methods: Nine female elite players (25.

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Context: Thousands of people worldwide have been infected by the chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and the persistence of joint pain symptoms has been considered the main problem. Neuromodulation techniques such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) act on brain areas involved in the processing of chronic pain. It was previously demonstrated that tDCS for five consecutive days significantly reduced pain in the chronic phase of chikungunya (CHIK).

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This study aimed to examine the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) used as a recovery strategy, on heart rate (HR) measures and perceived well-being in 12 male professional soccer players. tDCS was applied in the days after official matches targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with 2 mA for 20 min (F3-F4 montage). Participants were randomly assigned to anodal tDCS (a-tDCS) or sham tDCS sessions.

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Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) morbidity is not restricted to the respiratory system, but also affects the nervous system. Non-invasive neuromodulation may be useful in the treatment of the disorders associated with COVID-19. To describe the rationale and empirical basis of the use of non-invasive neuromodulation in the management of patients with COVID-10 and related disorders.

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The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted in the urgent need to develop and deploy treatment approaches that can minimize mortality and morbidity. As infection, resulting illness, and the often prolonged recovery period continue to be characterized, therapeutic roles for transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) have emerged as promising non-pharmacological interventions. tES techniques have established therapeutic potential for managing a range of conditions relevant to COVID-19 illness and recovery, and may further be relevant for the general management of increased mental health problems during this time.

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Purpose: Some evidence suggests that sedentary women may be more vulnerable to cognitive task-induced mental fatigue. Mental fatigue, in turn, may worse aerobic exercise performance, presumably via increased perceived effort. However, it remains unclear whether acute mental fatigue induction increases perceived effort and worsens endurance performance in high-level professional athletes and whether such effects are influenced by sex.

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Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive technique used to modulate neural tissue. Neuromodulation apparently improves cognitive functions in several neurologic diseases treatment and sports performance. In this study, we present a comprehensive, integrative review of tDCS for motor rehabilitation and motor learning in healthy individuals, athletes and multiple neurologic and neuropsychiatric conditions.

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Interoception has been shown to influence self-regulation of effort and perceived exertion during exercise. However, whether interoceptive accuracy influences submaximal and maximal exercise performance, as well as psychophysiological responses to it, remains elusive. We assessed poor (n = 15) and good (n = 17) heartbeat perceivers young men accordingly with their interoceptive accuracy.

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Introduction: Chronic pain (CP) is highly prevalent and generally undertreated health condition. Noninvasive brain stimulation may contribute to decrease pain intensity and influence other aspects related to CP.

Objective: To provide consensus-based recommendations for the use of noninvasive brain stimulation in clinical practice.

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Salivary cortisol increases in response to stressors, including physical exertion and psychological stress associated with sports competition. In addition, stress may induce change in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). However, there are still no data available to compare the salivary BDNF level in sedentary male individuals and elite team-sport male athletes, regularly involved in activities that require elevated attention and concentration.

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