The Electrophysiological Signature of the Mental Fatigue-induced Impairment in Endurance Performance

The Electrophysiological Signature of the Mental Fatigue-induced Impairment in Endurance Performance

The purpose of this project is to provide further insights into the neurophysiology behind the MF-induced impairment in endurance performance. The aim is to perform a randomized controlled trial in which we partly replicate studies of Marcora et al. (2009) and Bigliassi et al. (2017), while extensively monitoring brain activity during the entire protocol (i.e. both cognitive and physical tasks) by using EEG.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Healthy (No neurological or cardiovascular disorders)
• Male or female
• No medication
• Non-smoker
• Between 18 and 35 years old
• Recreational athlete population (performance level 2 or 3 for men according to De Pauw et al. (2013) and performance level 2 or 3 for woman according to Decroix et al. (2016)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Injuries over the last 6 months
• Suffering from any cardiovascular condition
• Use of medication
• Suffering from other health conditions at the time of testing
• Use of caffeine or alcohol 24 hours prior to each trial
• Heavy efforts 24 hours prior to each trial