Monitoring the Effect of Mental Fatigue on Physical Performance Using Wearable Sensors and Physiological Parameters

Обзор

Mental fatigue (MF) negatively affects both cognitive and physical performance, increasing the risk of errors in high-stakes environments such as sports and surgery. Traditional methods to assess MF rely on subjective self-report scales, which are prone to bias, or on complex brain measurements (e.g. EEG) that are impractical outside laboratory settings. This study aims to develop a real-time, objective monitoring method for MF using wearable physiological sensors. The study will recruit healthy, trained runners (18-35 years old) who will complete both an MF-inducing cognitive task (Stroop test) and a control condition (watching a documentary) in a randomized, counterbalanced, crossover design. Heart rate variability, respiration rate, and pupil metrics will be continuously recorded using wearable devices. Machine learning models will be used to predict MF-level as well as the effect of MF on physical performance (5-km time trial on a treadmill) using the physiological data as input.

Вмешательства

• Поведенческое 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.

Первичные конечные точки

• Heart rate variability time-domain parameters [Срок оценки: Continuously during the cognitive intervention and control condition on the study day (approximately 75 minutes).]
• Heart rate variability frequency-domain parameters [Срок оценки: Continuously during the cognitive intervention and control condition on the study day (approximately 75 minutes).]
• Respiration rate [Срок оценки: Continuously during the cognitive intervention and control condition on the study day (approximately 75 minutes).]
• Pupil diameter [Срок оценки: Continuously during the cognitive intervention and control condition on the study day (approximately 75 minutes).]
• Blinking rate [Срок оценки: Continuously during the cognitive intervention and control condition on the study day (approximately 75 minutes).]
• Eyelid opening [Срок оценки: Continuously during the cognitive intervention and control condition on the study day (approximately 75 minutes).]
• Cognitive Performance Accuracy [Срок оценки: At baseline (pre-intervention), during the 60-minute cognitive intervention, and immediately after completion of the intervention on the study day (approximately 70 minutes total).]
• Cognitive Performance Reaction Time [Срок оценки: At baseline (pre-intervention), during the 60-minute cognitive intervention, and immediately after completion of the intervention on the study day (approximately 70 minutes total).]
• Physical performance: Time to Completion [Срок оценки: Immediately after completion of the 60-minute cognitive intervention, during a single 5-km treadmill time trial on the study day (approximately 20 minutes).]

Вторичные конечные точки (7)

• Subjective feeling of Mental Fatigue [Срок оценки: At baseline (pre-intervention), every 5 minutes during the 60-minute cognitive intervention, and immediately after completion of the intervention on the study day.]
• Mood [Срок оценки: At baseline, prior to the start of each experimental and control trial on the study day.]
• Motivation [Срок оценки: At baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after completion of the 60-minute cognitive intervention on the study day.]
• Sleepiness [Срок оценки: At baseline (pre-intervention) and immediately after completion of the 60-minute cognitive intervention on the study day.]
• Physical fatigue [Срок оценки: Immediately prior to the physical performance test on the study day.]
• Perceived physical exertion [Срок оценки: During the 5-km treadmill time trial, assessed at the end of each kilometer on the study day.]
• Pacing [Срок оценки: During the 5-km treadmill time trial, assessed at the end of each kilometer on the study day.]

Критерии участия

Критерии включения

• Healthy (no neurological, cardiovascular or musculoskeletal disorders of any kind)
• Male or female
• No prior knowledge of the concept of MF
• No medication
• Non-smoker
• 18-35 years of age
• Experienced runners: (≥15km/week and/or ≥2u/week during the last 6 months)

Критерии исключения

• Injuries in the past 6 months, affecting running performance
• Suffering from a chronic health condition (could be neurological, cardiovascular, internal or musculoskeletal)
• Participating in any concomitant care or research trials
• History of suffering from any mental/psychiatric disorders
• Use of medication
• 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

Критерии приведены из реестра в оригинале (на английском). Окончательную оценку соответствия проводит исследовательский центр.

Здоровые добровольцы: Да

Дизайн исследования

Распределение

Рандомизированное

Модель

Перекрёстный дизайн

Маскирование

Простое слепое

Основная цель

Фундаментальное исследование

Центры проведения

Бельгия · 1 центр

• Brussels Labo voor Inspanning en Topsport — Brussels

Идентификаторы

NCT: NCT07323810 · EC-2025-113

Первоисточники (государственные реестры)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH, США)

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