The Effect of Mental Fatigue on the Cerebral Oxygenation During Endurance Exercise

Summary

The experiment will consist of 3 consecutive trials performed in a sound-insulated climate chamber (20°C and 40% RH) at the VUB. Participants will be asked to return 3 successive weeks. Trained staff (pre-doctoral researchers and trained master students) will be present during the experimental trials. The first visit will be a familiarization trial in which they will complete all procedures as if it was an experimental trial, except for the interventional 60min Stroop task. Instead of the 60-min Stroop task the participants' maximal cognitive capacity will be determined.

The participant wil come in, perform a cognitive performance test, will then perform the intervention/control procedure, which will be followed by an additional conduction of the same cognitive performance test as before the intervention/control, as well as a physical performance test (time to exhaustion cycling test). The intervention will consist of a 60 min Stroop task, while the control trial will consist of watching a documentary of the same duration. Multiple different questionnaires (e.g. to assess the mentally fatigued state of participants) will be assessed throughout the experimental/control trial. The aim of this study will be to research if mental fatigue influences prefrontal cortex oxygenation during a time to exhaustion cycling test. Marcora et al. (2009) already showed a decrease in cycling performance during the exact same protocol.

Conditions

• Mental Fatigue
• Near Infrared Spectroscopy
• NIRS
• Condition
• Cerebral Heamodynamics

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Time to Exhaustion cycling test

After completing the MF/control task. Participants will be asked to take place on the cycle ergometer. Participants will perform a 3-min warm-up at 40% of peak power output followed by a rectangular workload at a power output corresponding to their predetermined respiratory compensation point (±80% PPO). RPM was freely chosen between 60 and 100 RPM and was recorded every minute. TTE was measured from the start until the pedal frequency was less than 60 RPM for more than 5s. This TTE task was chosen, based on a previous study of Marcora et al. (2009), who found that mental fatigue impairs physical performance. A researcher will sit behind the subject to ensure compliance with treatment. Subjects will be equipped with a heart rate monitor to continuously follow up heart rate. Subjective psychological assessment will take place with a M-VAS-scale, the NASA-TLX, the success motivation and intrinsic motivation scales, Karolinska Sleepiness Scale and visual analog scale for boredom.

BEHAVIORAL

Go/NoGo task

Participants are to react to different stimuli displayed on a computer screen, preceded by a screen with general instructions. Two different stimuli were present at the same time: a Go or NoGo stimulus, and a left or right stimulus (meaning that four combinations are possible: GoRight, GoLeft, NoGoRight and NoGoLeft). If a Go-stimulus is presented, participants are instructed to react to the left or right stimuli with the corresponding arrows. However, if a NoGo stimulus is presented, participants are instructed to refrain from reacting to the either the left or right stimuli. This proposed paradigm measures attention, response inhibition and working memory. Stimuli will be presented for 500 ms, with a varying interstimulus time between 1100 and 1700 ms. Outcomes for Go trials include reaction time and accuracy while the outcome for NoGo trials is only accuracy.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

DIAGNOSTIC

Masking

DOUBLE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

35 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2022-05-01

Primary Completion

2024-02-29

Completion

2024-02-29

Countries

• Belgium

Study Locations