Menu
Not yet recruiting NCT07645404

The Effect of Mental Fatigue on Upper Extremity Functional Performance

No phase Interventional Mental Fatigue

For patients and families

In plain language

An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.

What is being studied
The protocol lists: Mental Fatigue.
Who it may be relevant to
Registry conditions: Mental Fatigue. Basic parameters: 18 years — 35 years · All.
What needs checking
Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
Where it takes place
Belgium
Next step
Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →

Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →

Overview

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.

Interventions

  • Behavioral Mental Fatigue
    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.

Primary outcome measures

  • Reactive Upper Quarter Y Balance Test [Time frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each experimental and control condition session)]
  • Closed Kinetic Chain Upper Extremity Stability Test [Time frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)]
  • Upper Quarter Y Balance Test [Time frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)]
  • Seated Single-Arm Shot Put Test [Time frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)]
Secondary outcome measures (5)
  • Subjective Mental Fatigue [Time frame: Baseline, every 5 minutes during intervention, and post-intervention (each session)]
  • Go/No-Go Task [Time frame: Immediately post-intervention (each session)]
  • Motivation State [Time frame: Pre- and post-intervention (each session)]
  • Perceived Exertion [Time frame: Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)]
  • Stroop Task Performance [Time frame: During intervention (continuous, averaged per block)]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

  • 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
  • Not currently taking medications that affect cognition or neuromuscular performance
  • According to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, being physically active at a minimum level of 1500 MET-min/week

Exclusion criteria

  • 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
  • Not eating a standardized meal, the morning of each trial and the evening before each trial

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Allocation
Randomized
Model
Crossover
Masking
Single blind
Primary purpose
Basic science

Study locations

Belgium · 1 center
  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel — Brussels

Identifiers

NCT: NCT07645404 · 26014_MF-UEPPT

Primary sources (government registries)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗