The Effect of Mental Fatigue on Upper Extremity Functional Performance

Trial statusNot yet recruiting
Trial phaseNot applicable
Trial typeInterventional
Biological sexAll
Age18-35
SponsorIzmir Bakircay University

About this trial

Mental fatigue (MF) is known to impair cognitive performance and may negatively affect physical performance. While its effects on lower-extremity functional performance have been investigated, little is known about the influence of MF on upper-extremity physical performance tests commonly used in sports and rehabilitation settings. This randomized crossover study will investigate the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue on upper-extremity physical performance in 16 healthy physically active adults. Participants will complete both a mental fatigue condition, involving a prolonged Stroop task, and a control condition consisting of watching an emotionally neutral documentary. Before and after each condition, participants will perform the Upper Quarter Y Balance Test, Reactive Upper Quarter Y Balance Test, Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test, and Seated Single-Arm Shot Put Test. Subjective mental fatigue, cognitive performance, motivation, and perceived exertion will also be assessed. The findings will improve understanding of whether mental fatigue influences upper-extremity physical performance test outcomes and may assist clinicians and researchers in interpreting these assessments in sports medicine and rehabilitation contexts.

Eligibility criteria

This trial accepts healthy volunteers

Qualifiers

Age between 18 and 35 years

Healthy (no neurological, cardiovascular or musculoskeletal disorders of any kind)

Male or female

No prior knowledge of the concept of mental fatigue

Disqualifiers

Previous major upper limb injury (last 6 months)

Involvement in another concurrent physical or cognitive intervention study

Use of caffeine and heavy efforts 24 hours prior each trial

Suffering from colour vision deficiencies

Trial design

Design model

Crossover

Treatments tested in this trial

  • Mental Fatigue

    Behavioral

    Mental fatigue (MF) is a psychobiological state characterized by feelings of tiredness and/or a measurable decline in performance following prolonged or intense cognitive activity.

Treatment groups

16 Participants
are divided into 2 treatment groups
Group A: Mental Fatigue ConditionExperimental treatment 1 intervention
Group B: Control conditionNo intervention 0 interventions

Trial outcomes

Primary outcomes

1

Reactive Upper Quarter Y Balance Test

Measures visuomotor reaction time, reaching accuracy, and balance errors during a reactive upper quarter Y balance test performed under visual stimuli conditions.

Time frame
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each experimental and control condition session)
2

Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test

Assesses upper-extremity muscular endurance and stability by counting the number of alternating hand touches performed in a 15-second push-up position task.

Time frame
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
3

Upper Quarter Y Balance Test

Evaluates dynamic upper-extremity reach performance and composite score based on normalized reach distances in three directions.

Time frame
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
4

Seated Single-Arm Shot Put Test

Measures upper-extremity explosive power based on throwing distance of a 6-lb medicine ball.

Time frame
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)

Secondary outcomes

1

Subjective Mental Fatigue

Subjective Mental Fatigue measured using the Mental Visual Analog Scale (M-VAS). The scale ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates no mental fatigue and 100 indicates the highest level of mental fatigue imaginable. Higher scores indicate worse mental fatigue.

Time frame
Baseline, every 5 minutes during intervention, and post-intervention (each session)
2

Go/No-Go Task

Assesses executive function using a computerized Go/No-Go task. Outcomes include reaction time (milliseconds) and response accuracy (percentage of correct responses, ranging from 0% to 100%). Higher accuracy indicates better executive function performance, while shorter reaction times indicate better performance.

Time frame
Immediately post-intervention (each session)
3

Motivation State

Assesses task-related motivation using the Assessment of Motivational States in Performance Environments questionnaire. The questionnaire includes two 7-item subscales: Interest Motivation and Success Motivation. Higher scores indicate greater task engagement, interest in the task, and motivation to perform successfully.

Time frame
Pre- and post-intervention (each session)
4

Perceived Exertion

Assesses perceived exertion using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale. Scores range from 6 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater perceived exertion.

Time frame
Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)

Other outcomes

Sponsors and contacts

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Izmir Bakircay University

Lead sponsor

Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Collaborator

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