The Effect of Mental Fatigue on Upper Extremity Functional Performance

June 9, 2026 updated by: Gürsu Sayar, Izmir Bakircay University
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.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
16

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Belgium
    • Pleinlaan 2
      • Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, Belgium, 1050
        • Vrije Universiteit Brussel
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

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

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Mental Fatigue Condition
Participants 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.
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.
No Intervention: Control condition
Participants 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.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Reactive Upper Quarter Y Balance Test
Time Frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each experimental and control condition session)
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
Time Frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
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
Time Frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
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
Time Frame: Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)
Measures upper-extremity explosive power based on throwing distance of a 6-lb medicine ball.
Pre-intervention and immediately post-intervention (each session)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Subjective Mental Fatigue (M-VAS Scale)
Time Frame: Baseline, every 5 minutes during intervention, and post-intervention (each session)
Assesses perceived mental fatigue using a visual analog scale (0-100).
Baseline, every 5 minutes during intervention, and post-intervention (each session)
Go/No-Go Task
Time Frame: Immediately post-intervention (each session)
Measures executive function including reaction time and response accuracy under Go and No-Go conditions.
Immediately post-intervention (each session)
Motivation Scale
Time Frame: Pre- and post-intervention (each session)
Assesses intrinsic motivation and task-related motivation using a standardized questionnaire.
Pre- and post-intervention (each session)
Perceived Exertion
Time Frame: Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)
Measures internal load and perceived exertion following physical performance tests.
Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)
Stroop Task Performance
Time Frame: During intervention (continuous, averaged per block)
Assesses cognitive performance including reaction time and accuracy across Stroop task blocks.
During intervention (continuous, averaged per block)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Izmir Bakircay University

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Bart Roelands, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 9, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 9, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 26014_MF-UEPPT

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

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.

IPD Sharing 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.

IPD Sharing 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.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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