The Effects of Performing Mental Exertion during Cycling Exercise on Fatigue Indices

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of performing prolonged mental exertion during submaximal cycling exercise on exercise tolerance and fatigue. Participants performed 5 experimental sessions. Session 1: determination of cycling peak power output. Sessions 2 and 3: cycling to exhaustion at 65% peak power output with mental exertion or watching a movie. Sessions 4 and 5: cycling for 45 min at 65% peak power output with mental exertion or while watching a movie. During sessions 2–5, rate of perceived exertion and heart rate were recorded while cycling and cortisol and prolactin concentrations, psychomotor vigilance task performance, and maximal voluntary contraction were measured pre-and post-sessions. During sessions 2 and 3, time to exhaustion was reduced (p<0.01) and rate of perceived exertion was increased (p<0.01) in session 2 compared to 3. Cortisol, prolactin and heart rate increased and psychomotor vigilance task and maximal voluntary contraction decreased from pre-to post-sessions with no difference between sessions. Cortisol, prolactin and rate of perceived exertion were higher (p<0.03) in session 4 than 5. Heart rate increased and maximal voluntary contraction decreased from pre-to post-sessions with no difference between sessions. Prolonged mental exertion during cycling exercise reduces exercise tolerance, which appears to be mediated psychologically rather than physiologically.

Key words

mental fatigue - exercise tolerance - rating of perceived exertion - stress hormones

Publication History

Received: 18 January 2020

Accepted: 07 May 2020

Article published online:
29 June 2020

• References

• 1 Enoka RM, Duchateau J. Translating fatigue to human performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 2228-2238
• 2 Tanaka M, Ishii A, Watanabe Y. Neural correlates of central inhibition during physical fatigue. PloS one 2013; 8: e70949
• 3 Tanaka M, Watanabe Y. Supraspinal regulation of physical fatigue. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2012; 36: 727-734
• 4 Ishii A, Tanaka M, Watanabe Y. Neural mechanisms of mental fatigue. Rev Neuroscience 2014; 25: 469-479
• 5 Mehta RK, Parasuraman R. Effects of mental fatigue on the development of physical fatigue: a neuroergonomic approach. Hum Factors 2014; 56: 645-656
• 6 Ackerman PL. Decade of Behavior/Science Conference. Cognitive Fatigue: Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Current Research and Future Applications. : American Psychological Association; 2011
• 7 Lorist MM, Boksem MA, Ridderinkhof KR. Impaired cognitive control and reduced cingulate activity during mental fatigue. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 2005; 24: 199-205
• 8 Marcora SM, Staiano W, Manning V. Mental fatigue impairs physical performance in humans. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2009; 106: 857-864
• 9 Smith MR, Coutts AJ, Merlini M. et al. Mental fatigue impairs soccer-specific physical and technical performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2016; 48: 267-276
• 10 Pageaux B, Lepers R, Dietz KC. et al. Response inhibition impairs subsequent self-paced endurance performance. Eur J Appl Physiol 2014; 114: 1095-1105
• 11 Pageaux B, Marcora S, Lepers R. Prolonged mental exertion does not alter neuromuscular function of the knee extensors. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2013; 45: 2254-2264
• 12 Chatain C, Radel R, Vercruyssen F. et al. Influence of cognitive load on the dynamics of neurophysiological adjustments during fatiguing exercise. Psychophysiology 2019; 56: e13343
• 13 Holgado D, Zabala M, Sanabria D. No evidence of the effect of cognitive load on self-paced cycling performance. PloS one 2019; 14: e0217825
• 14 Pageaux B, Lepers R. The effects of mental fatigue on sport-related performance. Prog Brain Res 2018; 240: 291-315
• 15 Sharma A, Oyebode F, Kendall MJ. et al. Recovery from chronic fatigue syndrome associated with changes in neuroendocrine function. J R Soc Med 2001; 94: 26-27
• 16 Van Cutsem J, De Pauw K, Buyse L. et al. Effects of mental fatigue on endurance performance in the heat. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2017; 49: 1677-1687
• 17 Wright HE, Selkirk GA, Rhind SG. et al. Peripheral markers of central fatigue in trained and untrained during uncompensable heat stress. Eur J Appl Physiol 2012; 112: 1047-1057
• 18 Carrasco Páez L, Luque G, Gutiérrez C. et al. Prolactin responses to stress induced by a competitive swimming effort. Biol Sport 2007; 24: 311-323
• 19 Klaassen EB, de Groot RH, Evers EA. et al. Cortisol and induced cognitive fatigue: effects on memory activation in healthy males. Biol Psychol 2013; 94: 167-174
• 20 Harriss DJ, MacSween A, Atkinson G. Ethical standards in sport and exercise science research: 2020 update. Int J Sports Med 2019; 40: 813-817
• 21 Borg GA. Psychophysical bases of perceived exertion. Med Sci Sports Exerc 1982; 14: 377-381
• 22 Smith M, Fransen J, Coutts A. The effects of three cognitively demanding tasks on psychological and performance indicators of cognitive fatigue. In, The 19th annual congress of the European College of Sports Science 2014; 676
• 23 MacLeod CM, MacDonald PA. Interdimensional interference in the Stroop effect: Uncovering the cognitive and neural anatomy of attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2000; 4: 383-391
• 24 Cohen J. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences Hillside. In: New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 1988
• 25 Amann M, Secher NH. Point: Afferent feedback from fatigued locomotor muscles is an important determinant of endurance exercise performance. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2010; 108: 452-454
• 26 Noakes T. Physiological models to understand exercise fatigue and the adaptations that predict or enhance athletic performance. Scand J Med Sci Sports 2000; 10: 123-145
• 27 Amann M. Pulmonary system limitations to endurance exercise performance in humans. Exp Physiol 2012; 97: 311-318
• 28 Marcora SM. Do we really need a central governor to explain brain regulation of exercise performance?. Eur J Appl Physiol 2008; 104: 929-931
• 29 Pageaux B. The psychobiological model of endurance performance: an effort-based decision-making theory to explain self-paced endurance performance. Sports Med 2014; 44: 1319-1320
• 30 Wright RA. Brehm’s theory of motivation as a model of effort and cardiovascular response. In: Gollwitzer PM and Bargh JA, eds. The psychology of action: Linking cognition and motivation to behavior. Guilford Press; 1996: 424-453
• 31 Marcora SM, Bosio A, de Morree HM. Locomotor muscle fatigue increases cardiorespiratory responses and reduces performance during intense cycling exercise independently from metabolic stress. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2008; 294: R874-R883
• 32 Hilty L, Jäncke L, Luechinger R. et al. Limitation of physical performance in a muscle fatiguing handgrip exercise is mediated by thalamo-insular activity. Hum Brain Mapp 2011; 32: 2151-2160
• 33 Jouanin JC, Pérès M, Ducorps A. et al. A dynamic network involving M1-S1, SII-insular, medial insular, and cingulate cortices controls muscular activity during an isometric contraction reaction time task. Hum Brain Mapp 2009; 30: 675-688
• 34 Cook DB, O’Connor PJ, Lange G. et al. Functional neuroimaging correlates of mental fatigue induced by cognition among chronic fatigue syndrome patients and controls. Neuroimage 2007; 36: 108-122
• 35 Ishii A, Tanaka M, Yamano E. et al. The neural substrates of physical fatigue sensation to evaluate ourselves: a magnetoencephalography study. Neuroscience 2014; 261: 60-67
• 36 Hampson DB, Gibson ASC, Lambert MI. et al. The influence of sensory cues on the perception of exertion during exercise and central regulation of exercise performance. Sports Med 2001; 31: 935-952
• 37 De Morree HM, Klein C, Marcora SM. Perception of effort reflects central motor command during movement execution. Psychophysiology 2012; 49: 1242-1253
• 38 Myers J, Atwood JE, Sullivan M. et al. Perceived exertion and gas exchange after calcium and beta-blockade in atrial fibrillation. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1987; 63: 97-104
• 39 Pageaux B, Marcora SM, Rozand V. et al. Mental fatigue induced by prolonged self-regulation does not exacerbate central fatigue during subsequent whole-body endurance exercise. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 9: 67
• 40 De Morree HM, Klein C, Marcora SM. Cortical substrates of the effects of caffeine and time-on-task on perception of effort. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2014; 117: 1514-1523
• 41 Swick D, Jovanovic J. Anterior cingulate cortex and the Stroop task: neuropsychological evidence for topographic specificity. Neuropsychologia 2002; 40: 1240-1253
• 42 Lovatt D, Xu Q, Liu W. et al. Neuronal adenosine release, and not astrocytic ATP release, mediates feedback inhibition of excitatory activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2012; 109: 6265-6270
• 43 Gailliot MT. Unlocking the energy dynamics of executive functioning: Linking executive functioning to brain glycogen. Perspect Psychol Sci 2008; 3: 245-263
• 44 Kennedy DO, Scholey AB. A glucose-caffeine ‘energy drink’ameliorates subjective and performance deficits during prolonged cognitive demand. Appetite 2004; 42: 331-333
• 45 Lorist MM, Tops M. Caffeine, fatigue, and cognition. Brain Cogn 2003; 53: 82-94
• 46 Durcan MJ, Morgan PF. Evidence for adenosine A2 receptor involvement in the hypomobility effects of adenosine analogues in mice. Eur J Pharmacol 1989; 168: 285-290
• 47 Davis JM, Zhao Z, Stock HS. et al. Central nervous system effects of caffeine and adenosine on fatigue. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2003; 284: R399-R404
• 48 Martin K, Staiano W, Menaspà P. et al. Superior inhibitory control and resistance to mental fatigue in professional road cyclists. PloS one 2016; 11: e0159907
• 49 Parasuraman R, Warm JS, See JE. Brain systems of vigilance. In: Parasuraman R, (ed). The Attentive Brain. The MIT Press; 1998: 221-256
• 50 Weng TB, Pierce GL, Darling WG. et al. Differential effects of acute exercise on distinct aspects of executive function. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2015; 47: 1460-1469
• 51 Tomporowski PD, Ellis NR. Effects of exercise on cognitive processes: A review. Psychol Bull 1986; 99: 338-346
• 52 Inzlicht M, Schmeichel BJ, Macrae CN. Why self-control seems (but may not be) limited. Trends Cogn Sci 2014; 18: 127-133
• 53 Brisswalter J, Collardeau M, René A. Effects of acute physical exercise characteristics on cognitive performance. Sports Med 2002; 32: 555-566
• 54 Daly W, Seegers C, Rubin D. et al. Relationship between stress hormones and testosterone with prolonged endurance exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 2005; 93: 375-380
• 55 Kirschbaum C, Hellhammer DH. Salivary cortisol in psychoneuroendocrine research: recent developments and applications. Psychoneuroendocrinology 1994; 19: 313-333
• 56 Bridge MW, Weller AS, Rayson M. et al. Responses to exercise in the heat related to measures of hypothalamic serotonergic and dopaminergic function. Eur J Appl Physiol 2003; 89: 451-459
• 57 Low D, Purvis A, Reilly T. et al. The prolactin responses to active and passive heating in man. Exp Physiol 2005; 90: 909-917
• 58 De Vente W, Olff M, Van Amsterdam J. et al. Physiological differences between burnout patients and healthy controls: blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol responses. Occup Environ Med 2003; 60: i54-i61
• 59 Van Cutsem J, Marcora S, De Pauw K. et al. The effects of mental fatigue on physical performance: a systematic review. Sports Med 2017; 47: 1569-1588
• 60 Williamson J, Fadel P, Mitchell J. New insights into central cardiovascular control during exercise in humans: a central command update. Exp Physiol 2006; 91: 51-58