Symposium

Mental fatigue is an increasingly relevant challenge in modern society, affecting health, performance, and daily functioning. This symposium celebrates the graduation of four PhD researchers whose work explores mental fatigue from fundamental brain mechanisms to human performance and real-world applications.

Through keynote lectures and PhD presentations, leading researchers will share perspectives on the neurobiology of fatigue, pharmacological mechanisms, pacing, perception of effort, and performance. Join us for a multidisciplinary day of science, discussion, and exchange!

When: November 14, 2026. From 9h - 14:30h

Where: U-Square VUB (near Etterbeek station)

Prof. Samuele Marcora

Professor at the University of Bologna and a leading researcher in exercise physiology and the psychobiology of endurance performance. 

He is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on mental fatigue, perception of effort, and endurance performance.

His research has challenged traditional models of fatigue by demonstrating the central role of the brain and cognitive processes in limiting physical performance.

Through influential studies and the development of the psychobiological model of endurance, Professor Marcora has significantly advanced our understanding of how mental and physical factors interact to determine human performance in sport, exercise, and health.

 

dr. Jelle Habay

Postdoctoral researcher affiliated with MFYS and the Vital Signs and Performance Monitoring (VIPER) research group at the Royal Military Academy. He recently defended his doctoral thesis, which explored interindividual variability in responses to mental fatigue.

Jelle’s presentation will focus on the following questions: To what extent do individuals differ in their responses to mental fatigue? Can these responses be predicted? And do they change over time?

In addition, the presentation will look ahead to future directions in the field of mental fatigue research, highlighting current knowledge gaps and identifying opportunities to improve both research approaches and practical applications.

 

 

 

PhD Manon Roose

Manon Roose is a third-year PhD researcher affiliated with the Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy research group (MFYS) and the MRI Department of UZ Brussel. 

Her research focuses on mental fatigue, particularly its cognitive consequences and underlying neural mechanisms. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), she investigates the brain regions, networks, and associated with mental fatigue. Beyond her work on mental fatigue, Manon also contributes to methodological MRI research, including deep learning-based acquisition and reconstruction approaches for whole-body MRI, as well as ultrashort echo time (UTE) sequences for quantitative BoneMRI.

 

 

PhD Y. Laurisa Arenales Arauz

Laurisa Arenales is a PhD researcher in the Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group (MFYS) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel. She will defend her doctoral thesis the day before the symposium, hopefully making this her first presentation as Dr. Arenales! 

Her research explored the neurochemistry of fatigue, with a particular focus on how dopamine and noradrenaline contribute to mental and physical fatigue. Her work combines pharmacological manipulations with behavioral, physiological, and neurophysiological (EEG) measures to examine how fatigue develops and affects performance and cognitive control. 

Through this integrated approach, Laurisa aims to contribute to a more mechanistic understanding of fatigue and its consequences for human performance.

 

dr. Chao Bian

Dr. Chao Bian is now a postdoctoral researcher at Tsinghua University. He recently achieved a PhD in Movement and Sport Sciences at the Human Physiology and Sports Physiotherapy Research Group (MFYS), Vrije Universiteit Brussel. 

He focuses on mental fatigue and athletic performance, aiming to bridge the gap between lab findings and their applications in real-world sports. Currently, the target group of his research are elite fencers.

 

 

 

 

Prof. Florentina Hettinga

Professor and Head of the Department of Human Movement Sciences at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

As an internationally recognized expert in sport and exercise science, her research focuses on pacing, decision-making, fatigue regulation, and human performance in sport, health, and rehabilitation. She has made major contributions to understanding how athletes regulate effort, manage fatigue, and adapt their behavior during endurance exercise and competition.

Using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates physiology, psychology, biomechanics, and behavioral science, Professor Hettinga’s work has advanced knowledge of the mechanisms underlying optimal performance and self-regulation in both elite athletes and clinical populations.