Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs
This study aimed to investigate the effects of mental fatigue on physical and cognitive performance (lower-limb power, isometric and handgrip strength, and psychomotor vigilance). Twenty-two physically active young adults (12 males, 10 females; M<sub>age</sub> = 20.82 ± 1.47) were random...
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MDPI AG
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/15/4758 |
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| author | Andreas Stafylidis Walter Staiano Athanasios Mandroukas Yiannis Michailidis Lluis Raimon Salazar Bonet Marco Romagnoli Thomas I. Metaxas |
| author_facet | Andreas Stafylidis Walter Staiano Athanasios Mandroukas Yiannis Michailidis Lluis Raimon Salazar Bonet Marco Romagnoli Thomas I. Metaxas |
| author_sort | Andreas Stafylidis |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study aimed to investigate the effects of mental fatigue on physical and cognitive performance (lower-limb power, isometric and handgrip strength, and psychomotor vigilance). Twenty-two physically active young adults (12 males, 10 females; M<sub>age</sub> = 20.82 ± 1.47) were randomly assigned to either a Mental Fatigue (MF) or Control group (CON). The MF group showed a statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.019) reduction in non-dominant handgrip strength, declining by approximately 2.3 kg (about 5%), while no such change was observed in the CON group or in dominant handgrip strength across groups. Reaction time (RT) was significantly impaired following the mental fatigue protocol: RT increased by 117.82 ms, representing an approximate 46% longer response time in the MF group (<i>p</i> < 0.001), whereas the CON group showed a smaller, non-significant increase of 32.82 ms (~12% longer). No significant differences were found in squat jump performance, indicating that lower-limb explosive power may be less affected by acute mental fatigue. These findings demonstrate that mental fatigue selectively impairs fine motor strength and cognitive processing speed, particularly reaction time, while gross motor power remains resilient. Understanding these effects is critical for optimizing performance in contexts requiring fine motor control and sustained attention under cognitive load. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7e68bcb13b854f84968abeb91edcb5db |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8220 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj-art-7e68bcb13b854f84968abeb91edcb5db2025-08-20T04:00:50ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202025-08-012515475810.3390/s25154758Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower LimbsAndreas Stafylidis0Walter Staiano1Athanasios Mandroukas2Yiannis Michailidis3Lluis Raimon Salazar Bonet4Marco Romagnoli5Thomas I. Metaxas6Laboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus of Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, University of Valencia, 46000 Valencia, SpainLaboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus of Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus of Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceInternational University SEK, Quito 170151, EcuadorDepartment of Physical Education and Sport, University of Valencia, 46000 Valencia, SpainLaboratory of Evaluation of Human Biological Performance, Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus of Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceThis study aimed to investigate the effects of mental fatigue on physical and cognitive performance (lower-limb power, isometric and handgrip strength, and psychomotor vigilance). Twenty-two physically active young adults (12 males, 10 females; M<sub>age</sub> = 20.82 ± 1.47) were randomly assigned to either a Mental Fatigue (MF) or Control group (CON). The MF group showed a statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.019) reduction in non-dominant handgrip strength, declining by approximately 2.3 kg (about 5%), while no such change was observed in the CON group or in dominant handgrip strength across groups. Reaction time (RT) was significantly impaired following the mental fatigue protocol: RT increased by 117.82 ms, representing an approximate 46% longer response time in the MF group (<i>p</i> < 0.001), whereas the CON group showed a smaller, non-significant increase of 32.82 ms (~12% longer). No significant differences were found in squat jump performance, indicating that lower-limb explosive power may be less affected by acute mental fatigue. These findings demonstrate that mental fatigue selectively impairs fine motor strength and cognitive processing speed, particularly reaction time, while gross motor power remains resilient. Understanding these effects is critical for optimizing performance in contexts requiring fine motor control and sustained attention under cognitive load.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/15/4758mental fatiguepsychomotor vigilanceisometric strengthhandgrip asymmetryStroop tasksquat jump |
| spellingShingle | Andreas Stafylidis Walter Staiano Athanasios Mandroukas Yiannis Michailidis Lluis Raimon Salazar Bonet Marco Romagnoli Thomas I. Metaxas Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs Sensors mental fatigue psychomotor vigilance isometric strength handgrip asymmetry Stroop task squat jump |
| title | Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs |
| title_full | Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs |
| title_fullStr | Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs |
| title_short | Mobile App–Induced Mental Fatigue Affects Strength Asymmetry and Neuromuscular Performance Across Upper and Lower Limbs |
| title_sort | mobile app induced mental fatigue affects strength asymmetry and neuromuscular performance across upper and lower limbs |
| topic | mental fatigue psychomotor vigilance isometric strength handgrip asymmetry Stroop task squat jump |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/25/15/4758 |
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