Brain Compensatory Mechanisms During the Prolonged Cognitive Task: fNIRS and Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract

The problem of maintaining cognitive performance under fatigue is crucial in fields requiring high concentration and efficiency to successfully complete critical tasks. In this context, the study of compensatory mechanisms that help the brain overcome fatigue is particularly important. This research investigates the correlations between physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures while considering the impact of fatigue on the performance of working memory tasks. A combined approach of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) and eye-tracking was used to reconstruct brain functional networks based on fNIRS data and analyze them in terms of network characteristics such as global clustering coefficient and global efficiency. Results showed a significant increase in subjective fatigue but no significant change in performance during the experiment. The study confirmed that despite fatigue, subjects can maintain performance through compensatory mechanisms, increasing mental effort, with the level of compensation depending on the task's complexity. Furthermore, the study showed that compensatory effort maintains the efficiency of the frontoparietal network, and the degree of compensatory effort is related to the difference in response times between high- and low-complexity tasks.