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NCT Number: NCT07645404

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Mental Fatigue Behavior Behavioral Symptoms Fatigue Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

18 year–35 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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

Treatment and study plan

Mental Fatigue

Behavioral

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.

Primary outcomes

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Subjective Mental Fatigue

    Time frame: Baseline, every 5 minutes during intervention, and post-intervention (each session)

    Subjective Mental Fatigue measured using the Mental Visual Analog Scale (M-VAS). The scale ranges from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates no mental fatigue and 100 indicates the highest level of mental fatigue imaginable. Higher scores indicate worse mental fatigue.

  2. Go/No-Go Task

    Time frame: Immediately post-intervention (each session)

    Assesses executive function using a computerized Go/No-Go task. Outcomes include reaction time (milliseconds) and response accuracy (percentage of correct responses, ranging from 0% to 100%). Higher accuracy indicates better executive function performance, while shorter reaction times indicate better performance.

  3. Motivation State

    Time frame: Pre- and post-intervention (each session)

    Assesses task-related motivation using the Assessment of Motivational States in Performance Environments questionnaire. The questionnaire includes two 7-item subscales: Interest Motivation and Success Motivation. Higher scores indicate greater task engagement, interest in the task, and motivation to perform successfully.

  4. Perceived Exertion

    Time frame: Immediately after physical performance testing (each session)

    Assesses perceived exertion using the Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale. Scores range from 6 to 20, with higher scores indicating greater perceived exertion.

  5. Stroop Task Performance

    Time frame: During intervention (continuous, averaged per block)

    Assesses cognitive performance using a computerized Stroop task. Outcomes include reaction time (milliseconds) and response accuracy (percentage of correct responses, ranging from 0% to 100%). Higher accuracy and shorter reaction times indicate better cognitive performance.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Gürsu Sayar, MSc

CONTACT

[email protected]

+90 534 231 00 72

Nieka Coryn, MSc

CONTACT

[email protected]

+32 (0)2 629 2222

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Izmir Bakircay University

Other

Collaborators

  • Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jun 12, 2026
Registry last updated
Jun 15, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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