Exercise-Induced Central Fatigue: A Review of the Literature with Implications for Dance Science Research

The complex interplay between cortical and subcortical networks essential to motor performance is altered when muscles fatigue. The construct of exercise-induced human muscle fatigue has been attributed largely to the loss of a peripheral muscle's ability to produce force. Far less understood is "central fatigue," the result of alterations in central nervous system function. Central fatigue manifests as inadequate motor drive to the muscles and can occur even at sub-maximal levels of voluntary force. This study reviews the literature on exercise-induced central fatigue and its impact on motor performance. In reviewing conditions that may contributed to central fatigue, it addresses perceived exertion and repetitive strain and their relationship to central fatigue. Evidence supporting possible training protocols designed to offset central fatigue, while speculative, will be cited as potential areas of investigation for dance scientists.