Abstract
BackgroundFatigue, defined as difficulty initiating or sustaining voluntary activities, can be classified as physical or mental. In this study, we use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to quantify the effect of physical fatigue on neural activity under the condition of simulated physical load.MethodsThirteen healthy right-handed male volunteers participated in this study. The experiment consisted of one fatigue-inducing physical task session performed between two MEG sessions. During the 10-min physical task session, participants performed maximum-effort handgrips with the left hand lasting 1 s every 4 s; during MEG sessions, 3-min recordings were made during the eyes-closed state. MEG data were analyzed using narrow-band adaptive spatial filtering methods.ResultsAlpha-frequency band (8–13 Hz) power in the left postcentral gyrus, precentral gyrus, and middle frontal gyrus (Brodmann’s areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, and 46) were decreased after performing the physical fatigue-inducing task.ConclusionsThese results show that performing the physical fatigue-inducing task caused activation of the left sensorimotor and prefrontal areas, manifested as decreased alpha-frequency band power in these brain areas. Our results increase understanding of the neural mechanisms of physical fatigue.
Highlights
Fatigue, defined as difficulty initiating or sustaining voluntary activities, can be classified as physical or mental
Since combined fMRI and electroencephalography studies showed a negative correlation between alpha-frequency band power and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the cerebral cortex [7, 8], mental fatigue-inducing task led to suppression of the spontaneous MEG alpha-frequency band (8–13 Hz) power [i.e., event-related desynchronization (ERD)] in the cerebral cortex, suggesting activation of the brain [5, 6]
To identify the brain regions affected by the physical fatigue, the decreased oscillatory power, as defined by the ERD for the alpha-frequency band, was evaluated after the fatigue-inducing physical task session within the time window of 0–1000 ms
Summary
Fatigue, defined as difficulty initiating or sustaining voluntary activities, can be classified as physical or mental. Fatigue, which can be classified as physical or mental, is defined as difficulty initiating or sustaining voluntary activities [1]. Just before and after fatigue-inducing mental task trials, neural activities were evaluated by using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Since combined fMRI and electroencephalography studies showed a negative correlation between alpha-frequency band power and blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in the cerebral cortex [7, 8], mental fatigue-inducing task led to suppression of the spontaneous MEG alpha-frequency band (8–13 Hz) power [i.e., event-related desynchronization (ERD)] in the cerebral cortex, suggesting activation of the brain [5, 6]
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