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Cognitive Reserve and Post-Fatigue Recovery in Older Adults

Determining the Post-Physical and Mental Fatigue Recovery Perspectives of Older Adults Based on Their Cognitive Reserves

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07667985
Enrollment
696
Registered
2026-06-25
Start date
2026-06-20
Completion date
2026-08-24
Last updated
2026-09-15

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Aging, Cognitive Reserve, Fatigue, Mental Fatigue, Recovery of Function

Keywords

aging, cognitive reserve, fatigue, Post-Fatigue Recovery

Brief summary

As people grow older, it is common to experience a drop in physical stamina and memory functions. This can make recovering from daily physical and mental fatigue more difficult, which directly impacts an individual's independent daily life and overall quality of life. "Cognitive reserve" is a term that describes the brain's built-in resilience. Built over a lifetime through education, work, and social activities, a higher cognitive reserve acts like a buffer, helping the brain adapt to stress and aging. While research shows that a high cognitive reserve protects against conditions like dementia, we still do not fully understand how it helps older adults bounce back from normal, everyday physical and mental exhaustion. The goal of this study is to investigate how cognitive reserve levels influence how individuals aged 65 and older perceive their recovery after experiencing physical and mental fatigue. What the Study Involves The researchers will evaluate participants aged 65 and older to measure their baseline cognitive reserve levels. The study will look closely at how these levels affect the participants': Ability to cope with daily physical and mental fatigue. Need for rest and rest patterns. Time and ability to return to normal daily activities. Overall perception of their mental and physical recovery. Expected Outcome By understanding this relationship, the study aims to fill a gap in medical literature and help healthcare providers design better, more personalized rehabilitation and lifestyle support programs to improve the quality of life for older adults.

Detailed description

The aim of this study is to evaluate the perception of cognitive reserve level and recovery after physical and mental fatigue in individuals aged 65 and over. It also aims to examine the effect of cognitive reserve level on individuals' ability to cope with fatigue, need for rest, return to daily activities, and perception of mental recovery. With the aging process, individuals may experience a decrease in physical endurance, a decline in cognitive functions, and changes in their capacity for recovery after fatigue. Especially in the elderly, physical and mental fatigue are among the factors that significantly affect daily living activities and quality of life. Cognitive reserve refers to the capacity that individuals develop throughout their lives through education, professional experience, and mental-social activities, enabling them to maintain their cognitive functions despite brain damage. It has been shown that individuals with high cognitive reserve levels are more resilient to neurological and psychological stressors and can better maintain their cognitive performance. Although cognitive reserve is known in the literature to play a protective role, especially in dementia, age-related cognitive decline, and neurological diseases, its effect on fatigue and recovery processes encountered in daily life has not been sufficiently studied. However, it has been reported that mental fatigue affects attention, executive functions, and decision-making processes, and that these effects may vary among individuals. The recovery process after physical and mental fatigue is affected by numerous factors such as sleep quality, psychological state, chronic diseases, and lifestyle. It is thought that cognitive reserve may play an indirect role in this process through the individual's ability to cope with stress, mental flexibility, and adaptation capacity. However, in the current literature, studies that directly examine the relationship between cognitive reserve and the perception of recovery after physical and mental fatigue, especially in individuals aged 65 and over, are limited. Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the literature by revealing the effect of the level of cognitive reserve on the recovery perspective in elderly individuals.

Interventions

None listed

Sponsors

Uşak University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
65 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* being 65 years of age or older, * not having any neurological, psychiatric, or systemic disease that would affect one's mental state, and not using any medication for these conditions.

Exclusion criteria

* Being younger than 65 years old, * having an illness or taking medication that affects mental health, or being * unable to complete the questionnaires.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Cognitive Reserve LevelBaselineCognitive Reserve Index questionnaire (CRIq):It assesses an individual's cognitive reserve by compiling information about that individual's entire adult life. The assessment will be conducted with the aid of a guide containing guidelines.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Perception of Coping and Recovery After Mental and Physical FatigueBaselineThe study will be evaluated using a 5-item multiple-choice questionnaire developed by researchers based on current literature. The questionnaire assesses individuals' perceptions of physical-mental fatigue, their ability to cope with physical/mental fatigue, their need for physical/mental rest, and their perspectives on returning to daily physical-mental activities. Participants will select up to 3 response options for each question or provide textual explanations. A higher frequency of selecting positive coping/recovery options indicates a more positive outlook on physical/mental recovery.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORElif Tuncay, PhD

Uşak University

STUDY_DIRECTORKevser GÜRSAN, PhD

Uşak University

STUDY_CHAIREmre Cengiz, PhD

Uşak University

STUDY_CHAIRElif Gür Kabul, PhD

Uşak University

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Sep 16, 2026