HE mental fatigue It can be a problem for thousands of people around the world, especially after a stressful day at work. Now, according to a study published in the scientific journal Current BiologyThe cause of mental fatigue may have finally been found.
According to the researchers, prolonged cognitive work that takes more than a few hours helps build up toxic byproducts in the brain that can change control over decisions and cause a person to choose actions that require less cognitive effort, for example, as a result of mental fatigue.
“Effective theories have suggested that fatigue is a kind of illusion invented by the brain to enable us to stop what we were doing and return to more satisfying activity. But our findings show that cognitive work results in a real functional change – the accumulation of harmful substances,” says Pitié- One of the researchers at Mathias Pessiglione of Salpêtrière University.
Researcher Antonius Wiehler, along with Pessiglione and other colleagues, tried to understand what mental fatigue is and why our brains accumulate fatigue, as opposed to computers that can run all the time. So they used magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRE) to understand brain chemistry in stages of mental fatigue.
mental fatigue
During the study, two groups were analyzed, one consisting of people who had to mentally challenge themselves to perform cognitive tasks, and the other of participants with simpler tasks. After research, they noticed that the most worn out group showed signs of fatigue and higher glutamate levels in the prefrontal cortex.
Therefore, research indicates that glutamate accumulation may be responsible for the symptoms that occur after mental fatigue. In future studies, the researchers want to find out why the prefrontal cortex is so sensitive to glutamate and thus to fatigue.
They say that for now there is no miraculous way to solve the problem of cognitive fatigue. “I used to use the good old recipes: rest and sleep! There is good evidence that glutamate is cleared from synapses during sleep.”
ARTICLE Current Billology: doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.010
Source: Tec Mundo
I am Bret Jackson, a professional journalist and author for Gadget Onus, where I specialize in writing about the gaming industry. With over 6 years of experience in my field, I have built up an extensive portfolio that ranges from reviews to interviews with top figures within the industry. My work has been featured on various news sites, providing readers with insightful analysis regarding the current state of gaming culture.
