Intellectual work: causes fatigue like manual work

It has been proven that a cognitive work long lasting is just as tiring as manual activities or intense physical symptoms. A Parisian study bears witness to this truth. The research team used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor brain chemistry during working hours.

Experts Mathias Pessiglione and Antonius Wiehler compared people who were very busy with mentally exhausting jobs with people who did more relaxing activities. Signs of fatigue were found in the most psychologically disturbed group. In practice, higher levels of glutamate in the synapses of the prefrontal cortex of the brain.

According to what scholars have discovered, mental work causes the accumulation of potentially toxic byproducts in the brain region called prefrontal cortex. Overproduced toxins alter control of decisions by turning energy into less expensive mental actions.

Several theories have suggested that fatigue is an illusion generated by the brain, to make us participate in less demanding and more rewarding actions. Our results show that cognitive work results in a real functional change that occurs with the aim of preserving the integrity of brain functioning.

Mathias Pessiglione

There is some evidence that a little healthy rest is all it takes to clear glutamate from synapses, so it’s essential to make sure the brain doesn’t burn out. Monitoring of prefrontal metabolites could therefore help detect severe mental fatigue, which could be helpful in planning strategies and work programs. In the following steps, we will try to understand why the prefrontal cortex appears to be particularly sensitive to glutamate buildup and fatigue. We will also evaluate the hypothesis that these fatigue indicators can predict recovery from health problems such as depression or cancer.

Antonius Wiehler