Biology subjects

Mangin, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Mangin, T..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Facing pain is effortful: key role of the supplementary motor area and anterior midcingulate cortex

Pain captures attention and interferes with executive and motor processes. In the presence of pain, increasing effort may represent a compensatory mechanism to counteract pain-related disruption and maintain task performance. In this preregistered fMRI study, we investigated neural mechanisms underlying preserved task performance during pain and increased perceived effort. Forty right-handed participants performed a visuomotor force-matching task consisting of isometric handgrip contractions at a low and high force levels under individually calibrated painful or non-painful thermal stimulation. Thermal stimulation was applied to the left forearm, and participants rated the intensity of perceived effort after each isometric contraction. Maintaining task performance under pain was associated with increased perceived effort and recruited brain regions involved in pain modulation and cognitive control. Region-of-interest analysis showed perceived effort was consistently linked to decreased anterior midcingulate cortex activity, whereas supplementary motor area contributions varied depending on its role in motor execution or pain processing. Across experimental condition, motor, pain-modulatory and cognitive-control regions were associated with effort perception. Independently of condition, effort perception was modulated by ventromedial prefrontal cortex and ventral striatum. These findings indicate that effort perception is a complex phenomenon reflecting brain activity within areas involved in motor, executive and valuation processes. Significance StatementThis study advances our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying task performance under pain and increased effort perception. Brain activity was measured during a visuomotor force-matching task performed in the presence or absence of pain. By contrasting task-related activity between painful and non-painful conditions, we identified regions associated with cognitive control and pain modulation involved in preserving task performance under pain. By correlating activity in regions of interest with ratings of perceived effort, we demonstrated the involvement of the supplementary motor area and midcingulate cortex in effort perception. These findings suggest that additional neural resources are recruited to maintain performance during pain and that the supplementary motor area and midcingulate cortex contribute to heightening the effort experienced.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Mental fatigue impairs cycling endurance performance and perception of effort, but not muscle activation

Mental fatigue is induced by prolonged engagement in cognitively demanding tasks and impairs endurance performance. The neuropsychophysiological mechanisms underlying this decreased performance remain unclear, with suggestion that mental fatigue may disrupt motor command and consequently muscle activation. We aimed to test this hypothesis in a repeated cross-over design study in which 18 participants completed two experimental sessions involving a time-to-task failure cycling test at 80% of peak power output. Each cycling task was preceded by 1h of a prolonged Stroop task (Stroop condition) or a neutral control task (Control condition). Mental fatigue was assessed using a visual analog scale anchored with "not fatigued at all" and "extremely fatigued. Perception of effort and surface electromyography from ten lower-limb muscles of the right leg were recorded at regular intervals during cycling. Mental fatigue was higher in the Stroop compared to the Control condition (p = .002). Endurance cycling time was shorter in the Stroop than in the Control condition (887 {+/-} 284 s vs. 999 {+/-} 379 s, respectively; -111 {+/-} 160 s, p = .009). No significant differences in electromyography parameters were observed between Stroop and Control conditions, for any muscle (p > .05). Perception of effort was higher in the Stroop condition from the onset of the cycling task (p = .006), and the rate of increase in perception of effort was significantly higher in the Stroop than Control condition (p = .031). Our findings do not support the hypothesis that mental fatigue alters motor control or increases central motor command, as no changes in muscle activation were detected. Conversely, our results reinforce the notion that prolonged cognitive engagement impairs endurance performance primarily through an increased perception of effort. Future research should consider combining surface electromyography with more sensitive neurophysiological techniques to investigate potential subtle changes in motor drive during dynamic, whole-body tasks under mental fatigue.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2026

The central motor command, but not the muscle afferent feedback, is necessary to perceive effort

Two theoretical models are proposed on the signal processed by the brain to generate the perception of effort (PE): the corollary discharge model and the afferent feedback model. To test the validity of these models, we used electromyostimulation to manipulate the magnitude of the central motor command during voluntary (high motor command), evoked (no motor command) and combined (low motor command) contractions at similar torque outputs. As electromyostimulation evokes sensory volleys to the central nervous system, it was used to evoke muscle contractions and to stimulate afferent feedback. We hypothesized that PE would reflect the magnitude of the central motor command and that evoked muscle contractions in the absence of central motor command would not elicit any PE. Twenty participants (n=10 experienced and n=10 novice with electromyostimulation) volunteered in this study. Participants reported their PE after isometric (10% and 20% MVC) and dynamic (5% and 20% MVC) voluntary, evoked, and combined contractions. For the same torque, participants reported no PE during evoked contractions, but all reported PE during voluntary contractions. Experienced but not novice participants reported lower PE during the combined than during voluntary contractions. This study questions the validity of the afferent feedback model and highlights the key role of motor command-related signals in PE generation. However, results from the novice participants during the combined contractions suggest that other factors such as inhibitory control may affect PE. Future studies should investigate the relationship between the central motor command and PE during physical tasks at various levels of complexity.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2025

Effects of experimentally induced fatigue on motor learning: A scoping review

The literature on the effect of fatigue on motor learning is limited and marked by inconsistent findings. This scoping review aimed to explore the available knowledge on the effects of fatigue induced by physical and cognitive exertion on motor learning, and to compile and understand how it is studied. A comprehensive search strategy using relevant index terms and keywords was conducted across MEDLINE, EMBASE, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC, and Dissertations & Theses Global. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings revealed considerable inconsistencies in how fatigue and motor learning were defined and measured. None of the studies examined the effect of fatigue induced by combined physical and cognitive exertion, and only 7 studies investigated fatigue induced by cognitive exertion. Acuity tasks were the most frequently used to assess motor learning, employed in 14 studies. Notably, all participants were between 16.5 and 31 years of age, and reporting of key demographic and physiological characteristics such as sex, gender, physical activity level, and body mass index was inconsistent or absent. This review highlights the need for comprehensive definitions of both fatigue and motor learning to improve consistency and reproducibility across studies. Given the limited research on the effects of fatigue induced by cognitive and combined physical and cognitive exertion, future studies should prioritize using these experimental manipulations. Also, future studies should diversify the motor learning tasks used in research to allow both direct and conceptual replication. Additionally, broader age ranges and comprehensive participant profiling should be prioritized.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Realistic fisheries management reforms could mitigate the impacts of climate change in most countries

Although climate change is altering the productivity and distribution of marine fisheries, climate-adaptive fisheries management could mitigate many of the negative impacts on human society. We forecast global fisheries biomass, catch, and profits to 2100 under three climate scenarios (RCPs 4.5, 6.0, 8.5) and five levels of management reform to (1) determine the impact of climate change on national fisheries and (2) quantify the national-scale benefits of implementing climate-adaptive fisheries reforms. Management reforms accounting for shifting productivity and shifting distributions would yield higher catch and profits in the future relative to today for 60-65% of countries under the two least severe climate scenarios but for only 35% of countries under the most severe scenario. Furthermore, these management reforms would yield higher cumulative catch and profits than business-as-usual management for nearly all countries under the two least severe climate scenarios but would yield lower cumulative catch for 40% of countries under the most severe scenario. Fortunately, perfect fisheries management is not necessary to achieve these benefits: transboundary cooperation with 5-year intervals between adaptive interventions would result in comparable outcomes. However, the ability for realistic management reforms to offset the negative impacts of climate change is bounded by changes in underlying biological productivity. Although realistic reforms could generate higher catch and profits for 23-50% of countries experiencing reductions in productivity, the remaining countries would need to develop, expand, and reform aquaculture and other food production sectors to offset losses in capture fisheries. Still, climate-adaptive management is more profitable than business-as-usual management in all countries and we provide guidance on implementing - and achieving the benefits of - climate-adaptive fisheries reform along a gradient of scientific, management, and enforcement capacities.

ecology↗