The Electrophysiological Signature of the Mental Fatigue-induced Impairment in Endurance Performance

NCT ID: NCT04719975

Last Updated: 2021-01-22

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: UNKNOWN
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 25 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2021-02-01
• Study Completion Date: 2021-07-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this project is to provide further insights into the neurophysiology behind the MF-induced impairment in endurance performance. The aim is to perform a randomized controlled trial in which we partly replicate studies of Marcora et al. (2009) and Bigliassi et al. (2017), while extensively monitoring brain activity during the entire protocol (i.e. both cognitive and physical tasks) by using EEG.

Conditions

Mental Fatigue; Electroencephalography

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Mental Fatigue (Stroop) - Chair task

Participants will be performing the Chair Task (150 submaximal dynamic knee extensions at 50% of their maximal voluntary contraction (MVC)) when mentally fatigued. A 60 minute variant of the Stroop task will be used to induce the mental fatigue. During the whole trial EEG will be measured.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Mental Fatigue (Stroop task)

Intervention Type: OTHER

A modified Stroop task of approximately 60 min will be used in order to induce mental fatigue (MF). This will be based on their performance during the max test that was conducted during the familiarization session. In this task, which will be partitioned in 4 blocks of 468 stimuli, four colored words ("rood", "blauw", "groen" and "geel") will be presented one at a time on a computer screen. The participants will be required to indicate the color of the word, ignoring the meaning of the word itself.

Control Task (Documentary) - Chair Task

In the control task subjects will have to watch a documentary on the same computer screen as that used for the experimental trial. These documentaries are chosen based on their emotionally neutral, yet engaging content. This will be followed by the Chair Task, During the whole trial EEG will be measured.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Control (Documentary)

Intervention Type: OTHER

In the control task subjects will have to watch a documentary of 60 min on the same computer screen as the one used for the experimental trial. In order to avoid under- and over-arousal the subjects will have the opportunity to choose between several documentaries as proposed by the research team. During the control task physiological and psychological measures will be assessed at the same time points as during the mental fatigue trial.

Mental Fatigue (Stroop) - Bike Task

Participants will be performing the Bike Task (a 9 min cycling task performed at 45 rpm with intensity being constant and will be 10% below VT) when mentally fatigued. A 60 minute variant of the Stroop task will be used to induce the mental fatigue. During the whole trial EEG will be measured.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Mental Fatigue (Stroop task)

Intervention Type: OTHER

A modified Stroop task of approximately 60 min will be used in order to induce mental fatigue (MF). This will be based on their performance during the max test that was conducted during the familiarization session. In this task, which will be partitioned in 4 blocks of 468 stimuli, four colored words ("rood", "blauw", "groen" and "geel") will be presented one at a time on a computer screen. The participants will be required to indicate the color of the word, ignoring the meaning of the word itself.

Control task (Documentary) - Bike Task

In the control task subjects will have to watch a documentary on the same computer screen as that used for the experimental trial. These documentaries are chosen based on their emotionally neutral, yet engaging content. This will be followed by the Bike Task, During the whole trial EEG will be measured.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Control (Documentary)

Intervention Type: OTHER

In the control task subjects will have to watch a documentary of 60 min on the same computer screen as the one used for the experimental trial. In order to avoid under- and over-arousal the subjects will have the opportunity to choose between several documentaries as proposed by the research team. During the control task physiological and psychological measures will be assessed at the same time points as during the mental fatigue trial.

Interventions

Mental Fatigue (Stroop task)

A modified Stroop task of approximately 60 min will be used in order to induce mental fatigue (MF). This will be based on their performance during the max test that was conducted during the familiarization session. In this task, which will be partitioned in 4 blocks of 468 stimuli, four colored words ("rood", "blauw", "groen" and "geel") will be presented one at a time on a computer screen. The participants will be required to indicate the color of the word, ignoring the meaning of the word itself.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Control (Documentary)

In the control task subjects will have to watch a documentary of 60 min on the same computer screen as the one used for the experimental trial. In order to avoid under- and over-arousal the subjects will have the opportunity to choose between several documentaries as proposed by the research team. During the control task physiological and psychological measures will be assessed at the same time points as during the mental fatigue trial.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Healthy (No neurological or cardiovascular disorders)
• Male or female
• No medication
• Non-smoker
• Between 18 and 35 years old
• Recreational athlete population (performance level 2 or 3 for men according to De Pauw et al. (2013) and performance level 2 or 3 for woman according to Decroix et al. (2016)

Exclusion Criteria

• Injuries over the last 6 months
• Suffering from any cardiovascular condition
• Use of medication
• Suffering from other health conditions at the time of testing
• Use of caffeine or alcohol 24 hours prior to each trial
• Heavy efforts 24 hours prior to each trial

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 35 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Romain Meeusen

Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group

Brussels, Elsene, Belgium

Countries

Belgium

Central Contacts

Matthias Proost, MSc

Role: CONTACT

matthias.proost@vub.be

026292753

References

Proost M, Habay J, DE Wachter J, DE Pauw K, Marusic U, Meeusen R, DE Bock S, Roelands B, VAN Cutsem J. The Impact of Mental Fatigue on a Strength Endurance Task: Is There a Role for the Movement-Related Cortical Potential? Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2024 Mar 1;56(3):435-445. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003322. Epub 2023 Oct 16.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 37847068 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

MF-EEG-MRCP

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id