The Effect of Mental Fatigue on Upper Extremity Functional Performance

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: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Mental Fatigue
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mental Fatigue

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 16
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Nieka Coryn, MSc; Phone Number: +32 (0)2 629 2222; Email: Nieka.Coryn@vub.be
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Gürsu Sayar, MSc; Phone Number: +90 534 231 00 72; Email: 6009015@bakircay.edu.tr

Study Locations

• Belgium
  • Pleinlaan 2
    • Brussels, Pleinlaan 2, Belgium, 1050
      • Vrije Universiteit Brussel
      • Contact: Nieka Coryn, MSc; Phone Number: +32 (0)2 629 2222; Email: Nieka.Coryn@vub.be

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• 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

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
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

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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 Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Subjective Mental Fatigue (M-VAS Scale)	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	Measures executive function including reaction time and response accuracy under Go and No-Go conditions.	Immediately post-intervention (each session)
Motivation Scale	Assesses intrinsic motivation and task-related motivation using a standardized questionnaire.	Pre- and post-intervention (each session)
Perceived Exertion	Measures internal load and perceived exertion following physical performance tests.	Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)
Stroop Task Performance	Assesses cognitive performance including reaction time and accuracy across Stroop task blocks.	During intervention (continuous, averaged per block)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Izmir Bakircay University
• Collaborators: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
• Investigators: Study Director: Bart Roelands, Professor, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 9, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 9, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 12, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 9, 2026
• Last Verified: June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Upper Extremity; Sports Medicine; Physical Performance; Cognitive Performance; Functional Testing; Mental Fatigue; Visuomotor Reaction Time; Upper Quarter Y Balance Test
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Fatigue; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior; Signs and Symptoms; Mental Fatigue
• Other Study ID 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