An Electromyographic Analysis of the Effects of Cognitive Fatigue on Online and Anticipatory Action Control

Abstract

Cognitive fatigue is a problem for the safety of critical systems (e.g., aircraft) as it can lead to accidents, especially during unexpected events. In order to determine the extent to which it disrupts adaptive capabilities, we evaluated its effect on online and anticipatory control. Despite numerous studies conducted to determine its effects, the exact mechanism(s) affected by fatigue remains to be clarified. In this study, we used distribution and electromyographic analysis to assess whether cognitive fatigue increases the capture of the incorrect automatic response or if it impairs its suppression (online control), and whether the conflict adaptation effect is reduced (anticipatory control). To this end, we evaluated the evolution of the performance over time during the Simon task, a classic conflict task that elicits incorrect automatic responses. To accentuate the presence of fatigue during the Simon task, two groups previously performed a dual-task with two different cognitive load levels to create two different levels of fatigue. The results revealed that time on task impaired online control by disrupting the capacity to suppress the incorrect response but leaving unaffected the expression of the automatic response. Furthermore, participants emphasized speed rather than accuracy with time on task, with in addition more fast guesses, suggesting that they opted for a less effortful response strategy. As the implementation of the suppression mechanism requires cognitive effort, the conjunction of these results suggests that the deficits observed may be due to disengagement of effort over time rather than reflecting an incapacity to make an effort.

Time for Action: Neural Basis of the Costs and Benefits of Temporal Predictability for Competing Response Choices

“…As expected, premotor time correlated strongly with response time (r(21) = .834, p < .001). Consistent with other reports (Salomone, Burle, Fabre, & Berberian, 2021;Spieser, Servant, Hasbroucq, & Burle, 2017), there was a main effect of compatibility on premotor time, F(1, 22) = 92.53, p < 0.001, η 2 p = 0.81. Premotor times were faster for compatible than incompatible targets.…”

Mind Wandering Influences EEG Signal in Complex Multimodal Environments

“…Subjects may have focused, maybe even attention-tunneling, on the visual task when being focused or in task-related MW. On the contrary, being in task-unrelated MW may have led participants to use strategies favoring speed over precision, without significant impact on the accuracy due to the low difficulty of the task (Salomone et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Subjects may have focused, maybe even attention-tunneling, on the visual task when being focused or in task-related MW. On the contrary, being in task-unrelated MW may have led participants to use strategies favoring speed over precision, without significant impact on the accuracy due to the low difficulty of the task (Salomone et al, 2021). Second, regarding the visual task, the increase in alpha power in the parieto-occipital lobe shows that participants inhibited visual perception during MW episodes (Foxe and Snyder, 2011;Benedek et al, 2014;Clayton et al, 2015).…”

Evaluation of Stability and Cytotoxicity of Self-Doped PEDOT Nanosheets in a Quasi-Biological Environment for Bioelectrodes

“…Aging causes diverse chronic diseases though the aging population reflects benefits from extended lifespan. The unperceivable constant health care monitoring of the elderly for preventing or predicting diseases would extend the healthy lifespan; furthermore, it would improve the quality of life of elders and their caregivers and reduce financial burden. , Methodologies of monitoring electrophysiological (EP) signals are widely reported in studies on brain science, neurological diseases, sports activities, and rehabilitation. , EP signals including electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG), electrooculogram (EOG), and electroencephalogram (EEG) are used for detecting arrhythmia, observing muscle activity, and monitoring the states of the brain. − Since EP signals are conventionally detected with hydrogel electrodes (pregel electrodes) including electrolytes, functional degradation derived from swelling of the hydrogel due to perspiration or ambient water is problematic.…”