Mental Fatigue Caused by Prolonged Cognitive Load Associated with Sympathetic Hyperactivity

Overview

Journal Behav Brain Funct

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Neurology
Psychology
Social Sciences

Date 2011 May 25

PMID 21605411

Citations 69

Authors

Kei Mizuno

Masaaki Tanaka

Kouzi Yamaguti

Osami Kajimoto

Hirohiko Kuratsune

Yasuyoshi Watanabe

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: It is known that chronic fatigue is associated with sympathetic hyperactivity. However, the relationship between autonomic function and mental fatigue caused by a prolonged mental load in healthy humans is still unclear. Thus, in order to clarify the mechanisms underlying mental fatigue, we examined the association between mental fatigue and autonomic functions.

Methods: The study group comprised 10 healthy participants. To induce mental fatigue, participants performed mental tasks, which consisted of the advanced trail making test, kana pick-out test and mirror drawing test, for 8 hr, corresponding to a normal work day. Autonomic functions were measured by accelerated plethysmography before and after the fatigue-inducing mental tasks. As a control, the same participants completed an 8-hr relaxation session 4 weeks before the fatigue session.

Results: After the 8-hr relaxation session, low-frequency component power (LF), high-frequency component power (HF) and low-frequency component power/high-frequency component power ratio (LF/HF ratio) were not changed from baseline. In contrast, after the fatigue session, the HF and LF/HF ratio were significantly changed from baseline; specifically, the HF was lower and LF/HF ratio was higher as compared to those after the relaxation session.

Conclusions: Sympathetic hyperactivity based on decreased parasympathetic activity is associated with mental fatigue induced by prolonged cognitive load.

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