ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some of the potential causes of central fatigue during exercise, before addressing a related concept, the central regulation of exercise performance. Pro-inflammatory cytokines may induce feelings of fatigue, lethargy, and sluggishness characteristic of many illnesses, and increased cytokine production during exercise could encourage similar sensations. Cytokine production can also influence central neurotransmitter production and function. A summary of exercise regulation as explained by the peripheral catastrophe model and the anticipatory regulation model. The anticipatory regulation model states that an initial exercise intensity is set prior to exercise, based on knowledge of exercise duration, experience, and afferent physiological feedback. During exercise, continual afferent feedback and awareness of remaining exercise duration allows a continued adjustment of motor unit recruitment and exercise intensity, allowing the athlete to maintain a neuromuscular and/or metabolic reserve that can be accessed in the final stages of exercise.
