Central nervous system fatigue
Central nervous system fatigue, or central fatigue, is a form of
Neurochemical mechanisms
Existing experimental methods have provided enough evidence to suggest that variations in synaptic
Noradrenaline
Manipulation of norepinephrine suggests it may actually play a role in creating a feeling of fatigue. Reboxetine, an NRI, decreased time to fatigue and increased subjective feelings of fatigue.[7][8] This may be explained by a paradoxical decrease in adrenergic activity led by feedback mechanisms.
Serotonin
In the brain, serotonin is a
Dopamine
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that regulates arousal, motivation, muscular coordination, and endurance performance, among other things.[12] Dopamine levels have been found to be lower after prolonged exercise.[13] A decrease in dopamine can decrease athletic performance as well as mental motivation. Dopamine itself cannot cross the blood brain barrier and must be synthesized within the brain. In rats bred for running, increased activity of the ventral tegmental area have been observed, and VTA activity correlates with voluntary wheel running. As the VTA is an area dense in dopaminergic neurons that project to many areas of the brain, this suggests that dopaminergic neurotransmission drives physical performance. Further supporting this theory is the fact that dopamine reuptake inhibitors as well as norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitors are able to increase exercise performance, especially in the heat.[8]
Acetylcholine
Acetylcholine is required for the generation of muscular force. In the central nervous system, acetylcholine modulates arousal and temperature regulation. It also may play a role in central fatigue. During exercise, levels of acetylcholine drop.[14] This is due to a decrease in plasma choline levels. However, there have been conflicting results in studies about the effect of acetylcholine on fatigue. One study found that plasma choline levels had dropped 40% after the subjects ran the Boston Marathon.[14] Another study found that choline supplementation did not improve time to exhaustion.[15] This study also found that plasma choline levels had not changed in either the placebo or the choline supplemented groups. More research is needed to investigate acetylcholine's effects on fatigue.
Cytokines
Cytokines can manipulate neurotransmissions creating
Ammonia
Increased circulating levels of ammonia may alter brain function and result in fatigue.[17] One hypothesized reason that BCAAs fail to increase exercise performance is due to increased oxidation of BCAAs in supplementation that results in increased fatigue, canceling out the effects on serotonin receptors.[citation needed]
Manipulation
Controlling central nervous system fatigue can help scientists develop a deeper understanding of
Dopamine reuptake and release agents
Methylphenidate has also been shown to increase exercise performance in time to fatigue and time trial studies.[21]
Caffeine
Caffeine is the most widely consumed stimulant in North America. Caffeine causes the release of epinephrine from the adrenal medulla. In small doses, caffeine can improve endurance.[22] It has also been shown to delay the onset of fatigue in exercise. The most probable mechanism for the delay of fatigue is through the obstruction of adenosine receptors in the central nervous system.[23] Adenosine is a neurotransmitter that decreases arousal and increases sleepiness. By preventing adenosine from acting, caffeine removes a factor that promotes rest, and delays fatigue.
Carbohydrates
Branched-chain amino acids
Several studies have attempted to decrease the synthesis of serotonin by administering branched-chain amino acids and inhibiting the transport of tryptophan across the blood brain barrier.[26] The studies performed resulted in little or no change in performance between increased BCAA intake and placebo groups. One study in particular administered a carbohydrate solution and a carbohydrate + BCAA solution.[27] Both of the groups were able to run for longer before fatigue compared to the water placebo group. However, both the carbohydrate and the carbohydrate + BCAA groups had no differences in their performance. Branch-chained amino acid supplementation has proven to have little to no effect on performance. There has been little success utilizing neurotransmitter precursors to control central nervous system fatigue.
One review hypothesized that the inconsistency with BCAA administration was the result of ammonia accumulation as a result of increased BCAA oxidation.[7]
Role
Central nervous system fatigue is a key component in preventing peripheral muscle injury.
Possible connection with Chronic fatigue syndrome
Through numerous studies, it has been shown that people with chronic fatigue syndrome have an integral central fatigue component.[1] In one study, the subjects' skeletal muscles were checked to ensure they had no defects that prevented their total use. It was found that the muscles functioned normally on a local level, but they failed to function to their full extent as a whole. The subjects were unable to consistently activate their muscles during sustained use, despite having normal muscle tissue.[32] In another study, the subjects experienced higher perceived effort in relation to heart rate as compared to the control during a graded exercise test.[33] The chronic fatigue subjects would stop before any sort of limit on the body was reached. Both studies proved that peripheral muscle fatigue was not causing the subjects with chronic fatigue syndrome to cease exercising. It is possible that the higher perception of effort required to use the muscles results in great difficulty in accomplishing consistent exercise.[1]
The main cause of fatigue in chronic fatigue syndrome most likely lies in the central nervous system. A defect in one of its components could cause a greater requirement of input to result in sustained force. It has been shown that with very high motivation, subjects with chronic fatigue can exert force effectively.[34] Further investigation into central nervous system fatigue may result in medical applications.
Loud Noise Exposure Damage
Exposure to
References
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It is very unlikely that a single neurotransmitter system is responsible for the appearance of central fatigue [3]. ... Serotonin, the only neurotransmitter implicated in the original central fatigue hypothesis, has not yielded conclusive results in human studies [3]. ... The distribution of the power output reveals that after dopamine reuptake inhibition, subjects are able to maintain a higher power output compared with placebo. Manipulations of serotonin and, especially, noradrenaline, have the opposite effect and force subjects to decrease power output early in the time trial. Interestingly, after manipulation of brain serotonin, subjects are often unable to perform an end sprint, indicating an absence of a reserve capacity or motivation to increase power output. ... In high-ambient temperatures, dopaminergic manipulations clearly improve performance. The distribution of the power output reveals that after dopamine reuptake inhibition, subjects are able to maintain a higher power output compared with placebo. ... Dopaminergic drugs appear to override a safety switch and allow athletes to use a reserve capacity that is 'off-limits' in a normal (placebo) situation.
- ^ PMID 25852568.
Central fatigue is accepted as a contributor to overall athletic performance ... Post-exercise recovery has largely focused on peripheral mechanisms of fatigue, but there is growing acceptance that fatigue is also contributed to through central mechanisms which demands that attention should be paid to optimizing recovery of the brain. ... Aside from accounting for the reduced performance of mentally fatigued participants, this model rationalizes the reduced RPE and hence improved cycling time trial performance of athletes using a glucose mouthwash (Chambers et al., 2009) and the greater power output during a RPE matched cycling time trial following amphetamine ingestion (Swart, 2009). ... Dopamine stimulating drugs are known to enhance aspects of exercise performance (Roelands et al., 2008)
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Physical fatigue has classically been attributed to peripheral factors within the muscle (Fitts, 1996), the depletion of muscle glycogen (Bergstrom & Hultman, 1967) or increased cardiovascular, metabolic, and thermoregulatory strain (Abbiss & Laursen, 2005; Meeusen et al., 2006b). In recent decennia however, it became clear that the central nervous system plays an important role in the onset of fatigue during prolonged exercise (Klass et al., 2008), certainly when ambient temperature is increased (Bruck & Olschewski, 1987; Nielsen et al., 1990; Nybo & Nielsen, 2001a). It was suggested that central fatigue could be related to a change in the synthesis and metabolism of brain monoamines, such as serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), and noradrenaline (NA; Meeusen &Roelands, 2010). ... 5-HT, DA, and NA have all been implicated in the control of thermoregulation and are thought to mediate thermoregulatory responses, certainly since their neurons innervate the hypothalamus (Roelands & Meeusen, 2010). ... This suggests that NA contributes to the development of supraspinal fatigue during prolonged exercise. More studies on the plausible mechanism of this strong performance deterioration are needed. ... Strikingly, both the ratings of perceived exertion and the thermal sensation were not different to the placebo trial. This indicates that subjects did not feel they were producing more power and consequently more heat. ... Taken together, these data indicate strong ergogenic effects of an increased DA concentration in the brain, without any change in the perception of effort. ... The combined effects of DA and NA on performance in the heat were studied by our research group on a number of occasions. ... the administration of bupropion (DA/NA reuptake inhibitor) significantly improved performance. Coinciding with this ergogenic effect, the authors observed core temperatures that were much higher compared with the placebo situation. Interestingly, this occurred without any change in the subjective feelings of thermal sensation or perceived exertion. Similar to the methylphenidate study (Roelands et al., 2008b), bupropion may dampen or override inhibitory signals arising from the central nervous system to cease exercise because of hyperthermia, and enable an individual to continue maintaining a high power output
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In 1980, Chandler and Blair47 showed significant increases in knee extension strength, acceleration, anaerobic capacity, time to exhaustion during exercise, pre-exercise and maximum heart rates, and time to exhaustion during maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max) testing after administration of 15 mg of dextroamphetamine versus placebo. Most of the information to answer this question has been obtained in the past decade through studies of fatigue rather than an attempt to systematically investigate the effect of ADHD drugs on exercise. ... In 2008, Roelands and colleagues53 studied the effect of reboxetine, a pure NE reuptake inhibitor, similar to atomoxetine, in 9 healthy, well-trained cyclists. They too exercised in both temperate and warm environments. They showed decreased power output and exercise performance at both 18°C and 30°C. Their conclusion was that DA reuptake inhibition was the cause of the increased exercise performance seen with drugs that affect both DA and NE (MPH, amphetamine, and bupropion).
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Physiologic and performance effects
• Amphetamines increase dopamine/norepinephrine release and inhibit their reuptake, leading to central nervous system (CNS) stimulation
• Amphetamines seem to enhance athletic performance in anaerobic conditions 39 40
• Improved reaction time
• Increased muscle strength and delayed muscle fatigue
• Increased acceleration
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