The Role of the Brain in Mental and Physical Fatigue

Launched by VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT BRUSSEL · May 19, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying how the brain contributes to feelings of fatigue, both mental and physical. The researchers want to understand how certain brain chemicals, called neurotransmitters, affect fatigue when we engage in mental tasks or physical exercise. To do this, they will be testing healthy young adults in three different types of activities: one that makes you mentally tired, one that involves intense physical effort, and a third that combines both. Participants will be given specific medications that influence brain chemicals to see how these changes impact their fatigue levels and brain activity.

To be eligible for this study, participants should be healthy individuals who exercise at least once a week and do not have any serious health issues, like heart problems or neurological disorders. They also should not be taking any chronic medications (except for contraceptives) and must not have had any injuries or health conditions that could affect their participation in the past six months. During the trial, participants will complete tasks while their brain activity and heart rate are monitored, and they will report how tired they feel. This research could help improve our understanding of fatigue and how it can be managed in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Healthy trained individuals (exercises at least 1x per week, no neurological, cardiovascular internal or musculoskeletal disorders of any kind)
• • No use of chronic or occasional prescribed medication (except for contraceptives)
• • Non-smoker
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Injuries of any kind in the past 6 months
• • Pregnancy
• • Specific food or drink allergies (e.g. lactose and/or gluten intolerance)
• • Suffering from a chronic health condition (could be neurological, cardiovascular, internal and musculoskeletal)
• • Participating in any concomitant care or research trials
• * History of suffering from any mental/psychiatric disorders:
• • Suffering from a higher risk of burn out, indicated by a total score of more than 2.59 on the Burn out assessment tool (BAT) Suffering from high general fatigue, indicated by a score of more than 57 on the Multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI) Suffering from depression, indicated by a score of more than16 on the Beck depression inventory-II (BDI-II)
• • Use of medication Chronic use with an exception for contraceptives Prescribed medication in between or before trials Use of non-prescribed occasional medication 24 hours prior each trial
• • 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