Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34321478›Full record

ArticleNature communications2021

Neural and computational mechanisms of momentary fatigue and persistence in effort-based choice.

Tanja Müller, Miriam C Klein-Flügge, Sanjay G Manohar, Masud Husain, Matthew A J Apps

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
47citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

47 citing papers in PubMed.

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  11. The cognitive and motor determinants of the perception of effort.Cognitive, affective & behavioral neuroscience · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Dopamine Boosts Motivation for Prosocial Effort in Parkinson's Disease.The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2026
    Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Fatigue Symptoms Influence Effort-Based Decision-Making in Major Depressive Disorder.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2025
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Tanja MüllerDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. tanja.mueller@psy.ox.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0003-0659-7883
Miriam C Klein-FlüggeDepartment of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-5156-9833
Sanjay G ManoharWellcome Centre for Integrative Neuroimaging, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0735-4349
Masud Husain *Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Matthew A J Apps *Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. M.A.J.Apps@bham.ac.uk.ORCID 0000-0001-5793-2202

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/M013596/1Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BB/R010668/1Medical Research Council MR/V036858/1Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 098282/Z/12/ZWellcome Trust 203139/Z/16/ZWellcome Trust 206330/Z/17/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

From a gym workout, to deciding whether to persevere at work, many activities require us to persist in deciding that rewards are 'worth the effort' even as we become fatigued. However, studies examining effort-based decisions typically assume that the willingness to work is static. Here, we use computational modelling on two effort-based tasks, one behavioural and one during fMRI. We show that two hidden states of fatigue fluctuate on a moment-to-moment basis on different timescales but both reduce the willingness to exert effort for reward. The value of one state increases after effort but is 'recoverable' by rests, whereas a second 'unrecoverable' state gradually increases with work. The BOLD response in separate medial and lateral frontal sub-regions covaried with these states when making effort-based decisions, while a distinct fronto-striatal system integrated fatigue with value. These results provide a computational framework for understanding the brain mechanisms of persistence and momentary fatigue.

Indexed as

FatigueNeural Networks, ComputerAdolescentAdultBrainChoice BehaviorDecision MakingFemaleFrontal LobeHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleRewardVentral StriatumYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID34321478
PMCPMC8319292

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.