Clinical Study of Brain Doing Diagnosis (bD2): Confirmation of Sports Performance Enhancement and Neurochemical Alterations via Brain Stimulation

Abstract

A novel form of doping, known as “brain doping”, involves temporarily activating certain brain regions to enhance sports performance; however, there is no clear regulation or process for detecting it. We have continued our research to establish a brain doping diagnosis based on the concept that neurochemicals mediate brain stimulation to improve sports performance. In this study, a clinical study was conducted that focused on the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and tested whether receiving stimulation prior to exercise enhanced sports performance and produced neurochemical alterations. Fifteen volunteers participated in a single-blind crossover test and performed a maximal incremental exercise test until volitional exhaustion on a treadmill after stimulation. In order to identify changes in neurochemicals, urine was collected at a certain time point from participants and analyzed using an ultra-sensitive analysis method developed in a previous study. Compared to sham conditions, brain stimulation led to changes in movement-related cortical potentials and increases in sports performance. As a result of analyzing the urine of the subjects, neurotransmitters having a significant difference were identified according to the sports performance, and six substance ratios were suggested as diagnostic criteria for brain doping. In this study, by detecting a whole shift in patterns for neurochemicals, we carried out research to establish a diagnosis strategy for brain doping for the first time. In addition, the analysis method developed in this research is effective for the simultaneous measurement of neurochemicals in biological samples and is anticipated to be applicable in several sectors, including doping control.