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De Wachter J, Roose M, Proost M, Habay J, Verstraelen M, De Bock S, De Pauw K, Meeusen R, Van Cutsem J, Roelands B. Prefrontal cortex oxygenation during a mentally fatiguing task in normoxia and hypoxia. Exp Brain Res 2024:10.1007/s00221-024-06867-y. [PMID: 38839618 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-024-06867-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024]
Abstract
Mental fatigue (MF) and hypoxia impair cognitive performance through changes in brain hemodynamics. We want to elucidate the role of prefrontal cortex (PFC)-oxygenation in MF. Twelve participants (22.9 ± 3.5 years) completed four experimental trials, (1) MF in (normobaric) hypoxia (MF_HYP) (3.800 m; 13.5%O2), (2) MF in normoxia (MF_NOR) (98 m; 21.0%O2), (3) Control task in HYP (CON_HYP), (4) Control in NOR (CON_NOR). Participants performed a 2-back task, Digit Symbol Substitution test and Psychomotor Vigilance task before and after a 60-min Stroop task or an emotionally neutral documentary. Brain oxygenation was measured through functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy. Subjective feelings of MF and physiological measures (heart rate, oxygen saturation, blood glucose and hemoglobin) were recorded. The Stroop task resulted in increased subjective feelings of MF compared to watching the documentary. 2-back accuracy was lower post task compared to pre task in MF_NOR and CON_NOR, while no differences were found in the other cognitive tasks. The fraction of inspired oxygen did not impact feelings of MF. Although performing the Stroop resulted in higher subjective feelings of MF, hypoxia had no effect on the severity of self-reported MF. Additionally, this study could not provide evidence for a role of oxygenation of the PFC in the build-up of MF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas De Wachter
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Manon Roose
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Radiology, UZ Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Matthias Proost
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jelle Habay
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- Research Foundation Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Matthias Verstraelen
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Sander De Bock
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- BruBotics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kevin De Pauw
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- BruBotics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Romain Meeusen
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- BruBotics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Van Cutsem
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
- VIPER Research Unit, Royal Military Academy, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Bart Roelands
- Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
- BruBotics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
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Zani A, Crotti N, Marzorati M, Senerchia A, Proverbio AM. Acute hypoxia alters visuospatial attention orienting: an electrical neuroimaging study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22746. [PMID: 38123610 PMCID: PMC10733389 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49431-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Our study investigated the effects of hypoxia on visuospatial attention processing during preparation for a single/double-choice motor response. ERPs were recorded in two sessions in which participants breathed either ambient-air or oxygen-impoverished air. During each session, participants performed four cue-target attention orienting and/or alerting tasks. Replicating the classic findings of valid visuospatial attentional orienting modulation, ERPs to pre-target cues elicited both an Anterior directing attention negativity (ADAN)/CNV and a posterior Late directing attention positivity (LDAP)/TP, which in ambient air were larger for attention orienting than for alerting. Hypoxia increased the amplitude of both these potentials in the spatial orienting conditions for the upper visual hemifield, while, for the lower hemifield, it increased ADAN/CNV, but decreased LDAP/TP for the same attention conditions. To these ERP changes corresponded compensatory enhanced activation of right anterior cingulate cortex, left superior parietal lobule and frontal gyrus, as well as detrimental effects of hypoxia on behavioral overt performance. Together, these findings reveal for the first time, to our knowledge, that (1) these reversed alterations of the activation patterns during the time between cue and target occur at a larger extent in hypoxia than in air, and (2) acute normobaric hypoxia alters visuospatial attention orienting shifting in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Zani
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58-60, 20132, Milan, MI, Italy.
| | - N Crotti
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan (MI), Italy
| | - M Marzorati
- Institute of Biomedical Technologies, National Research Council (CNR ITB), Segrate, MI, Italy
| | - A Senerchia
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan (MI), Italy
| | - A M Proverbio
- Department of Psychology, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan (MI), Italy
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Kuwamizu R, Yamazaki Y, Aoike N, Hiraga T, Hata T, Yassa MA, Soya H. Pupil dynamics during very light exercise predict benefits to prefrontal cognition. Neuroimage 2023; 277:120244. [PMID: 37353097 PMCID: PMC10788147 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2023.120244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Physical exercise, even stress-free very-light-intensity exercise such as yoga and very slow running, can have beneficial effects on executive function, possibly by potentiating prefrontal cortical activity. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this potentiation have not been identified. Evidence from studies using pupillometry demonstrates that pupil changes track the real-time dynamics of activity linked to arousal and attention, including neural circuits from the locus coeruleus to the cortex. This makes it possible to examine whether pupil-linked brain dynamics induced during very-light-intensity exercise mediate benefits to prefrontal executive function in healthy young adults. In this experiment, pupil diameter was measured during 10 min of very-light-intensity exercise (30% V˙o2peak). A Stroop task was used to assess executive function before and after exercise. Prefrontal cortical activation during the task was assessed using multichannel functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We observed that very-light-intensity exercise significantly elicited pupil dilation, reduction of Stroop interference, and task-related left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation compared with the resting-control condition. The magnitude of change in pupil dilation predicted the magnitude of improvement in Stroop performance. In addition, causal mediation analysis showed that pupil dilation during very-light-intensity exercise robustly determined subsequent enhancement of Stroop performance. This finding supports our hypothesis that the pupil-linked mechanisms, which may be tied to locus coeruleus activation, are a potential mechanism by which very light exercise enhances prefrontal cortex activation and executive function. It also suggests that pupillometry may be a useful tool to interpret the beneficial impact of exercise on boosting cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryuta Kuwamizu
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan; Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Yudai Yamazaki
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan; Sport Neuroscience Division, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan
| | - Naoki Aoike
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan; Sport Neuroscience Division, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan
| | - Taichi Hiraga
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan
| | - Toshiaki Hata
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan
| | - Michael A Yassa
- Sport Neuroscience Division, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan; Department of Neurobiology and Behavior and Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA 92679-3800, USA
| | - Hideaki Soya
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan; Sport Neuroscience Division, Advanced Research Initiative for Human High Performance (ARIHHP), Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8574, Japan.
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Post TE, Schmitz J, Denney C, De Gioannis R, Weis H, Pesta D, Peter A, Birkenfeld AL, Haufe S, Tegtbur U, Frings-Meuthen P, Ewald AC, Aeschbach D, Jordan J. Oral fructose intake does not improve exercise, visual, or cognitive performance during acute normobaric hypoxia in healthy humans. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1170873. [PMID: 37545589 PMCID: PMC10402737 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1170873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The ability to metabolize fructose to bypass the glucose pathway in near-anaerobic conditions appears to contribute to the extreme hypoxia tolerance of the naked-mole rats. Therefore, we hypothesized that exogenous fructose could improve endurance capacity and cognitive performance in humans exposed to hypoxia. Methods In a randomized, double-blind, crossover study, 26 healthy adults (9 women, 17 men; 28.8 ± 8.1 (SD) years) ingested 75 g fructose, 82.5 g glucose, or placebo during acute hypoxia exposure (13% oxygen in a normobaric hypoxia chamber, corresponding to oxygen partial pressure at altitude of ~3,800 m) on separate days. We measured exercise duration, heart rate, SpO2, blood gasses, and perceived exertion during a 30-min incremental load test followed by Farnsworth-Munsell 100 Hue (FM-100) color vision testing and the unstable tracking task (UTT) to probe eye-hand coordination performance. Results Exercise duration in hypoxia was 21.13 ± 0.29 (SEM) min on fructose, 21.35 ± 0.29 min on glucose, and 21.35 ± 0.29 min on placebo (p = 0.86). Heart rate responses and perceived exertion did not differ between treatments. Total error score (TES) during the FM-100 was 47.1 ± 8.0 on fructose, 45.6 ± 7.6 on glucose and 53.3 ± 9.6 on placebo (p = 0.35) and root mean square error (RMSE) during the UTT was 15.1 ± 1.0, 15.1 ± 1.0 and 15.3 ± 0.9 (p = 0.87). Discussion We conclude that oral fructose intake in non-acclimatized healthy humans does not acutely improve exercise performance and cognitive performance during moderate hypoxia. Thus, hypoxia tolerance in naked mole-rats resulting from oxygen-conserving fructose utilization, cannot be easily reproduced in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Titiaan E. Post
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Centre for Human Drug Research (CHDR), Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Jan Schmitz
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital of Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Cayla Denney
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Riccardo De Gioannis
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Department III for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Heart Center, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Henning Weis
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Dominik Pesta
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Andreas Peter
- Department for Diagnostic Laboratory Medicine, Institute for Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Andreas L. Birkenfeld
- Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Center Munich at the University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Division of Diabetology, Endocrinology, and Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sven Haufe
- Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Uwe Tegtbur
- Clinic for Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Petra Frings-Meuthen
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Ann C. Ewald
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
| | - Daniel Aeschbach
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Institute of Experimental Epileptology and Cognition Research, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jens Jordan
- Institute of Aerospace Medicine, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Cologne, Germany
- Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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Alleviation of Cognitive and Physical Fatigue with Enzymatic Porcine Placenta Hydrolysate Intake through Reducing Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Intensely Exercised Rats. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11121739. [PMID: 36552249 PMCID: PMC9774658 DOI: 10.3390/biology11121739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Intense exercise is reported to induce physical and cognitive fatigue, but few studies have focused on treatments to alleviate fatigue. We hypothesized that the oral supplementation of enzymatic porcine placenta hydrolysate (EPPH) prepared using protease enzymes could alleviate exercise-induced fatigue in an animal model. The objectives of the study were to examine the hypothesis and the action mechanism of EPPH in relieving physical and cognitive fatigue. Fifty male Sprague−Dawley rats aged 8 weeks (body weight: 201 g) were classified into five groups, and rats in each group were given oral distilled water, EPPH (5 mg nitrogen/mL) at doses of 0.08, 0.16, or 0.31 mL/kg body weight (BW)/day, or glutathione (100 mg/kg BW/day) by a feeding needle for 5 weeks, which were named as the control, L-EPPH, M-EPPH, H-EPPH, or positive-control groups, respectively. Ten additional rats had no intense exercise with water administration and were designated as the no-exercise group. After 2 weeks, the rats were subjected to intense exercise and forced swimming trial for 30 min once per week for an additional 4 weeks. At 5 min after the intense exercise, lactate concentrations and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in the serum and the gastrocnemius muscle were higher in the control group, whereas M-EPPH and H-EPPH treatments suppressed the increase better than in the positive-control (p < 0.05). Intense exercise decreased glycogen content in the liver and gastrocnemius muscle, and M-EPPH and H-EPPH inhibited the decrement (p < 0.05). Moreover, lipid peroxide contents in the gastrocnemius muscle and liver were higher in the control group than in the M-EPPH, H-EPPH, positive-control, and no-exercise groups (p < 0.05). However, antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were opposite to the lipid peroxide contents. Hypothalamic corticosterone and hippocampal mRNA expressions of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-1β were higher. However, hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression and protein contents were lower in the control group than in the positive-control group. M-EPPH, H-EPPH, and positive-control suppressed the changes via activating hippocampal cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation, and H-EPPH showed better activity than in the positive-control (p < 0.05). In conclusion, EPPH (0.16−0.31 mL/kg BW) intake reduced exercise-induced physical and cognitive fatigue in rats and could potentially be developed as a therapeutic agent for relieving fatigue in humans.
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Ochi G, Kuwamizu R, Fujimoto T, Ikarashi K, Yamashiro K, Sato D. The Effects of Acute Virtual Reality Exergaming on Mood and Executive Function: Exploratory Crossover Trial. JMIR Serious Games 2022; 10:e38200. [PMID: 36169992 PMCID: PMC9557761 DOI: 10.2196/38200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Virtual reality (VR) exergaming is a new intervention strategy to help humans engage in physical activity to enhance mood. VR exergaming may improve both mood and executive function by acting on the prefrontal cortex, expanding the potential benefits. However, the impact of VR exergaming on executive function has not been fully investigated, and associated intervention strategies have not yet been established. Objective This study aims to investigate the effects of 10 minutes of VR exergaming on mood and executive function. Methods A total of 12 participants played the exergame “FitXR” under 3 conditions: (1) a VR exergame condition (ie, exercise with a head-mounted display condition [VR-EX]) in which they played using a head-mounted display, (2) playing the exergame in front of a flat display (2D-EX), and (3) a resting condition in which they sat in a chair. The color-word Stroop task (CWST), which assesses executive function; the short form of the Profile of Mood States second edition (POMS2); and the short form of the Two-Dimensional Mood Scale (TDMS), which assess mood, were administered before and after the exercise or rest conditions. Results The VR-EX condition increased the POMS2 vigor activity score (rest and VR-EX: t11=3.69, P=.003) as well as the TDMS arousal (rest vs 2D-EX: t11=5.34, P<.001; rest vs VR-EX: t11=5.99, P<.001; 2D-EX vs VR-EX: t11=3.02, P=.01) and vitality scores (rest vs 2D-EX: t11=3.74, P=.007; rest vs VR-EX: t11=4.84, P=.002; 2D-EX vs VR-EX: t11=3.53, P=.006), suggesting that VR exergaming enhanced mood. Conversely, there was no effect on CWST performance in either the 2D-EX or VR-EX conditions. Interestingly, the VR-EX condition showed a significant positive correlation between changes in CWST arousal and reaction time (r=0.58, P=.046). This suggests that the effect of exergaming on improving executive function may disappear under an excessively increased arousal level in VR exergaming. Conclusions Our findings showed that 10 minutes of VR exergaming enhanced mood but did not affect executive function. This suggests that some VR content may increase cognitive demands, leading to psychological fatigue and cognitive decline as an individual approaches the limits of available attentional capacity. Future research must examine the combination of exercise and VR that enhances both brain function and mood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genta Ochi
- Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Ryuta Kuwamizu
- Laboratory of Exercise Biochemistry and Neuroendocrinology, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Tomomi Fujimoto
- Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Koyuki Ikarashi
- Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Major of Health and Welfare, Graduate School of Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Koya Yamashiro
- Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
| | - Daisuke Sato
- Department of Health and Sports, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan.,Institute for Human Movement and Medical Sciences, Niigata University of Health and Welfare, Niigata, Japan
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