Can a smartwatch spot mental fatigue before it slows you down?
NCT ID NCT07323810
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 19, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study aims to see if wearable sensors can detect mental fatigue in real time and predict how it affects running performance. Researchers will recruit 30 healthy, trained runners aged 18-35. Participants will complete a mentally tiring task or watch a documentary, then run a 5-kilometer time trial while wearing sensors that measure heart rate, breathing, and eye movements. The goal is to develop an objective way to monitor mental fatigue without relying on self-reports or lab equipment.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 30 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Sep 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 35 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Healthy (no neurological, cardiovascular or musculoskeletal disorders of any kind) * Male or female * No prior knowledge of the concept of MF * No medication * Non-smoker * 18-35 years of age * Experienced runners: (≥15km/week and/or ≥2u/week during the last 6 months) Exclusion Criteria: * Injuries in the past 6 months, affecting running performance * Suffering from a chronic health condition (could be neurological, cardiovascular, internal or musculoskeletal) * Participating in any concomitant care or research trials * History of suffering from any mental/psychiatric disorders * Use of medication * Use of caffeine and heavy efforts 24 hours prior each trial * Suffering from colour vision deficiencies * Not eating a standardized meal, the morning of each trial and the evening before each trial
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Brussels Labo voor Inspanning en Topsport
RECRUITINGBrussels, 1050, Belgium
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Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Caffeine and vitamin c may fight mental fatigue to improve strength — a trial puts the combo to the test
- Tired brain, slower steps: study links mental fatigue to changes in gait