Impact of transcranial alternating current stimulation on working memory and selective attention in athletes with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: randomized controlled trial

Objective The current study aimed to investigate the impact of transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on working memory and selective attention in athletes with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods In total 45 athletes with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were randomly divided into three equal groups (sham, control and experimental groups). All participants in the sham and experimental groups received stimulations on the F3 and SO with a current of (10 HZ) 1 mA for 15 min over 10 sessions ( P ≤ 0.05), and after 10 sessions, each group was retested. After 2 weeks, a follow-up test was performed according to the post-test using the Stroop test and N-BACK- (working memory test) to test statistical hypotheses ( P ≤ 0.05). Results The results of repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that applying tACS proved effective in improving the working memory and selective attention of ADHD athletes. Conclusions The study’s findings indicated that the protocol of applying tACS 1 MA with 10 HZ improved the working memory and selective attention of ADHD athletes.