Abstract
Adequate rest is essential to avoid fatigue and disruption of homeostasis. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the decision to rest are not well understood. In the present study, we aimed to clarify the neural mechanisms of this decision-making process using magnetoencephalography. Fifteen healthy volunteers participated in decision and control experiments performed in a cross-over fashion. In the decision experiment, participants performed 1,200 reverse Stroop test trials and were intermittently asked to decide whether they wanted to take a rest or continue. In the control experiments, participants performed 1,200 reverse Stroop test trials and were instructed to press a response button intermittently without making any decision. Changes in oscillatory brain activity were assessed using a narrow-band adaptive spatial filtering method. The levels of decrease in theta (4–8 Hz) band power in left Brodmann's area (BA) 31, alpha (8–13 Hz) band power in left BA 10 and BA 9, and beta (13–25 Hz) band power in right BA 46 and left BA 10 were greater in trials when the participant opted to rest (rest trials) than those in control trials. The decrease in theta band power in BA 31 in the rest trials was positively correlated with the subjective level of fatigue after the decision experiment. These results demonstrated that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, frontal pole, and posterior cingulate cortex play a role in the decision to rest in the presence of fatigue. These findings may help clarify the neural mechanisms underlying fatigue and fatigue-related problems.
Highlights
Fatigue is a common problem in modern societies
We showed that theta band power in Brodmann’s area (BA)
The decrease in theta band power in BA 31 was positively associated with the subjective level of fatigue just after the decision experiment
Summary
Fatigue is a common problem in modern societies. Fatigue can be defined as difficulty initiating or sustaining voluntary activity [1]. More than 20–30% of the general population in European countries and the United States experience substantial fatigue [2–. 6], and in Japan, more than half of the adult population reports experiencing fatigue [7]. The unpleasant sensation that accompanies fatigue, i.e., fatigue sensation, plays an important role in biological alarm and urges us to take a rest to avoid disrupting homeostasis [8,9]. Adequate rest is essential to avoid disrupting homeostasis. If individuals do not rest despite signs of fatigue they may experience overwork, which is a cause of death in a working population known as karoshi in
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