Effects of transcranial direct current stimulation and mindful walking on directional brain connectivity: An isolated effective coherence analysis
Clinical Neurophysiology Practice January 1, 2026 Keiichiro Nishida, Naoya Onishi, Yosuke Koshikawa et al.
Combining anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex with treadmill walking for focused mindfulness alters brain connectivity in ways that may reduce default mode network dominance and strengthen executive control. In 77 healthy participants, active tDCS reduced information flow from the posterior cingulate cortex to the rostral anterior cingulate cortex within the default mode network, while mindfulness reduced flow from the rostral anterior cingulate cortex to the medial prefrontal cortex. Active tDCS strengthened interhemispheric executive control network connectivity. The combined intervention produced hierarchical decoupling of the default mode network, suggesting potential for facilitating mindfulness engagement.