The impact of bilateral anodal transcranial direct current stimulation of the premotor and cerebellar cortices on physiological and performance parameters of gymnastic athletes: a randomized, cross-over, sham-controlled study.

Professional sports performance relies critically on the interaction between the brain and muscles during movement. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique which modulates cortical excitability and can be used to improve motor performance in athletes. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of bilateral anodal tDCS (2 mA, 20 min) over the premotor cortex or cerebellum on motor and physiological functions and peak performance of professional gymnastics athletes.

Central or overall obesity: which one is a better predictor of depressive symptoms in children, adolescents, and youths?

Background And Purpose: Despite the strong effect of central obesity on individuals' physical health outcomes, there is little evidence underlying the relationship between central obesity and mental disorders such as depression, especially in children, adolescents, and youths of the developing countries. This study explores the relationship between depressive symptoms (DS) with central and overall obesity in a sample of Iranian children, adolescents, and youths.

Methods: One thousand and fifty-two male participants ranging from 7 to 24 years old underwent standard anthropometry, and filled the DS questionnaire.