The Effect of Mental Fatigue on Upper Extremity Functional Performance
1 other identifier
interventional
16
1 country
1
Brief Summary
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.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at below P25 for not_applicable
Started Jul 2026
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
June 9, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
June 12, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
July 1, 2026
ExpectedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
August 1, 2026
Study Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
December 1, 2026
June 12, 2026
June 1, 2026
1 month
June 9, 2026
June 9, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (4)
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.
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each experimental and control condition session)
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.
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
Upper Quarter Y Balance Test
Evaluates dynamic upper-extremity reach performance and composite score based on normalized reach distances in three directions.
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
Seated Single-Arm Shot Put Test
Measures upper-extremity explosive power based on throwing distance of a 6-lb medicine ball.
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
Secondary Outcomes (5)
Subjective Mental Fatigue (M-VAS Scale)
Baseline, every 5 minutes during intervention, and post-intervention (each session)
Go/No-Go Task
Immediately post-intervention (each session)
Motivation Scale
Pre- and post-intervention (each session)
Perceived Exertion
Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)
Stroop Task Performance
During intervention (continuous, averaged per block)
Study Arms (2)
Mental Fatigue Condition
EXPERIMENTALParticipants in this arm completed a mental fatigue induction protocol involving a prolonged and cognitively demanding Stroop task designed to induce sustained inhibitory control and attentional effort. The task was performed for an extended duration to elicit subjective mental fatigue. Pre- and post-condition assessments of upper-extremity physical performance, cognitive performance, motivation, perceived exertion, and subjective mental fatigue were conducted.
Control condition
NO INTERVENTIONParticipants in this arm watched a neutral, emotionally non-arousing documentary for an equivalent duration as the mental fatigue condition. This activity was designed to minimize cognitive load and avoid inducing mental fatigue. Pre- and post-condition assessments of upper-extremity physical performance, cognitive performance, motivation, perceived exertion, and subjective mental fatigue were conducted.
Interventions
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.
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- 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
You may not qualify if:
- 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
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Izmir Bakircay Universitylead
- Vrije Universiteit Brusselcollaborator
Study Sites (1)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Belgium
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Study Officials
- STUDY DIRECTOR
Bart Roelands, Professor
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- SINGLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT
- Purpose
- BASIC SCIENCE
- Intervention Model
- CROSSOVER
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
- PI Title
- MSc. PT
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
June 9, 2026
First Posted
June 12, 2026
Study Start (Estimated)
July 1, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
August 1, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
December 1, 2026
Last Updated
June 12, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-06
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL
- Time Frame
- IPD and supporting documents will become available beginning 6 months after publication of the primary study results and will remain accessible for a period of 5 years.
- Access Criteria
- De-identified individual participant data (IPD) and supporting study documents will be made available to qualified researchers upon reasonable request for non-commercial use. Requests must include a methodologically sound research proposal and will be reviewed and approved by the principal investigator or study sponsor. Data will be shared under a data-sharing agreement to ensure compliance with ethical and data protection regulations. Access will be provided via secure data transfer platforms or institutional repositories.
De-identified individual participant data (IPD) will be shared upon reasonable request. This includes baseline characteristics, intervention allocation, and all primary and secondary outcome measures (upper-extremity physical performance test results, cognitive performance data, subjective mental fatigue scores, motivation scores, perceived exertion ratings, and Stroop task performance data). All data will be fully anonymized to protect participant confidentiality. Additional study-related materials such as the study protocol and statistical analysis plan may also be made available. Data will be shared for non-commercial research purposes after publication of the main study results.