Psychophysiological and neurobiological processes underlying cognitive fatigue effects in executive functions
Final Report Abstract
This project explored how mental fatigue affects our ability to think and control our actions, focusing on the role of a brain chemical called norepinephrine (NE). Traditionally, it's believed that the front part of our brain, the prefrontal cortex, is most affected by mental fatigue. However, this project revealed that other brain areas and various brain electrical activity patterns are involved. The performed studies highlight that both the prefrontal cortex and the parietal cortex work together and are influenced by mental fatigue. This finding suggests that our current understanding needs to be updated to include these interactions. The research also emphasizes the crucial role of the NE system in managing mental fatigue. Changes in brain activity and pupil size, which indicate NE system activity, show that mental fatigue disrupts the balance between the brain's resources and the effort we put into tasks. The project also used non-invasive brain stimulation to study how the NE system interacts with cognitive processes. These techniques revealed specific changes in how we manage and store information in our working memory, offering deeper insights into the functional relevance of findings on the brain's response to fatigue. In summary, this research shows that mental fatigue affects multiple brain areas and processes, not just the prefrontal cortex. Understanding these complex interactions can help develop better strategies to improve cognitive health, benefiting both healthy individuals and those with chronic fatigue conditions.
Publications
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Event-related synchronization/desynchronization and functional neuroanatomical regions associated with fatigue effects on cognitive flexibility. Journal of Neurophysiology, 126(2), 383-397.
Yu, Shijing; Mückschel, Moritz & Beste, Christian
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A role of the norepinephrine system or effort in the interplay of different facets of inhibitory control. Neuropsychologia, 166, 108143.
Yu, Shijing; Ghin, Filippo; Mückschel, Moritz; Ziemssen, Tjalf; Stock, Ann-Kathrin & Beste, Christian
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A ventral stream-prefrontal cortex processing cascade enables working memory gating dynamics. Communications Biology, 5(1).
Yu, Shijing; Rempel, Sarah; Gholamipourbarogh, Negin & Beste, Christian
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Superior frontal regions reflect the dynamics of task engagement and theta band-related control processes in time-on task effects. Scientific Reports, 12(1).
Yu, Shijing; Mückschel, Moritz & Beste, Christian
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Time-On-Task Effects on Working Memory Gating Processes—A Role of Theta Synchronization and the Norepinephrine System. Cerebral Cortex Communications, 3(1).
Yu, Shijing; Mückschel, Moritz; Rempel, Sarah; Ziemssen, Tjalf & Beste, Christian
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Auricular Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation Specifically Enhances Working Memory Gate Closing Mechanism: A System Neurophysiological Study. The Journal of Neuroscience, 43(25), 4709-4724.
Konjusha, Anyla; Yu, Shijing; Mückschel, Moritz; Colzato, Lorenza; Ziemssen, Tjalf & Beste, Christian
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Inhibitory control in WM gate-opening: Insights from alpha desynchronization and norepinephrine activity under atDCS stimulation. NeuroImage, 289, 120541.
Yu, Shijing; Konjusha, Anyla; Ziemssen, Tjalf & Beste, Christian
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Neurophysiological effective network connectivity supports a threshold-dependent management of dynamic working memory gating. iScience, 27(4), 109521.
Elmers, Julia; Yu, Shijing; Talebi, Nasibeh; Prochnow, Astrid & Beste, Christian
