Psychophysiological and neurobiological processes underlying cognitive fatigue effects in executive functions

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Effects of mental fatigue have a strong impact on human well-being and are of large societal relevance. The proposed project examines psychophysiological processes underlying fatigability effects with a focus on the norepinephrine system. On the basis of previous empirical findings and different theoretical concepts it is hypothesized that the norepinephrine system only affects/modulates specific subprocesses in the executive control processing cascade during mental fatigue. Likely, modulatory effects of the norepinephrine (NE) system are only evident at time points where responses are being controlled or selected and mental fatigue alters this modulatory effect. This question is addressed in the proposed research project examining two major aspects of executive functions and cognitive control; i.e. cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control. Psychophysiological (EEG) data will be collected, analyzed and integrated with pupil diameter data as a proxy of the NE system in healthy participants and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS is examined because it provides insights into the investigated psychophysiological mechanisms in an extreme condition. The inclusion of a CFS sample increases the societal relevance of the proposed project. Results obtained in this project are therefore not only central for basic research in this area, but also for the increasing number of people suffering under CFS.