The Physiological Nature of Mental Fatigue: Current Knowledge and Future Avenues for Sport Science

Roelands, Bart; Kelly, Vincent G.; Russell, Suzanna; Habay, Jelle

doi:10.1123/ijspp.2021-0524

Cited by 16 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…However, the abundance of mechanisms remain largely theoretical, as current research is only able to provide indirect evidence [ 10 , 11 ]. The true mechanisms of MF are therefore still to be elucidated, and many important aspects remain, at this point, underexamined [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interindividual Variability in Mental Fatigue-Related Impairments in Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Multiple Meta-regression

et al. 2023

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Background The negative effect of mental fatigue (MF) on physical performance has recently been questioned. One reason behind this could lie in the interindividual differences in MF-susceptibility and the individual features influencing them. However, the range of individual differences in mental fatigue-susceptibility is not known, and there is no clear consensus on which individual features could be responsible for these differences. Objective To give an overview of interindividual differences in the effects of MF on whole-body endurance performance, and individual features influencing this effect. Methods The review was registered on the PROSPERO database (CRD42022293242). PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus and PsycINFO were searched until the 16th of June 2022 for studies detailing the effect of MF on dynamic maximal whole-body endurance performance. Studies needed to include healthy participants, describe at least one individual feature in participant characteristics, and apply at least one manipulation check. The Cochrane crossover risk of bias tool was used to assess risk of bias. The meta-analysis and regression were conducted in R. Results Twenty-eight studies were included, with 23 added to the meta-analysis. Overall risk of bias of the included studies was high, with only three presenting an unclear or low rating. The meta-analysis shows the effect of MF on endurance performance was on average slightly negative (g = − 0.32, [95% CI − 0.46; − 0.18], p < 0.001). The multiple meta-regression showed no significant influences of the included features (i.e. age, sex, body mass index and physical fitness level) on MF-susceptibility. Conclusions The present review confirmed the negative impact of MF on endurance performance. However, no individual features influencing MF-susceptibility were identified. This can partially be explained by the multiple methodological limitations such as underreporting of participant characteristics, lack of standardization across studies, and the restricted inclusion of potentially relevant variables. Future research should include a rigorous description of multiple different individual features (e.g., performance level, diet, etc.) to further elucidate MF mechanisms.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interindividual Variability in Mental Fatigue-Related Impairments in Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Multiple Meta-regression

et al. 2023

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“…Further, practitioners reported extremely limited confidence in applying their knowledge of mental fatigue and mental recovery. The infancy of research which explores the efficacy of strategies and evaluates the applied impact is a likely contributor 18,27 . Moreover, differences were observed with practitioners reporting greater knowledge and confidence in applying their knowledge for mental fatigue, compared to mental recovery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Differences between training camps and benchmark competitions (e.g., Olympic and Paralympic Games, World Cups), have also been reported 16,17 . As such, findings highlight the need for research to further examine mental fatigue and recovery, with a particular focus on the practical relevance to sporting performance 18 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…Additionally, whilst this area has emerged as a 'hot topic' the majority of the literature available to date has focused on mental fatigue as opposed to mental recovery. 3 Research about the mental recovery strategies of athletes is lacking thus further work is necessary to establish the evidence-base for practitioners [18].…”

Section: Inducement Of Mental Fatiguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The experimental research exploring approaches to monitor and manage mental load and mental fatigue and enhance mental recovery, using strategies that may be implemented by practitioners is slowly emerging. It is increasingly apparent that mental fatigue and mental recovery are important factors in sport, and practitioners should aim to appropriately manage symptoms 11,18 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global practitioner assessment and management of mental fatigue and mental recovery in high‐performance sport: A need for evidence‐based best‐practice guidelines

Russell,

Johnston,

Stanimirovic

et al. 2023

Scandinavian Med Sci Sports

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BackgroundMental fatigue and mental recovery have gained scientific attention in relation to sporting performance, yet best practice assessment and management methods are lacking. A greater understanding of current knowledge and practices in high‐performance sport are necessary.ObjectiveTo understand the contemporary knowledge, beliefs, monitoring processes, management strategies, perceived responsibility, sources of evidence, and challenges, when assessing the mental fatigue and mental recovery of athletes in high‐performance sport.MethodsA mixed‐methods survey approach obtained information from 156 multi‐disciplinary high‐performance sport practitioners. Descriptive outputs were reported and potential differences between key concepts were detected using Wilcoxon‐signed rank analysis. Thematic analysis interpreted open‐text responses.ResultsOnly 11.5% and 5.1% of respondents indicated they were “very” knowledgeable about mental fatigue and mental recovery, respectively. Knowledge (p < 0.001) and confidence in application (p = 0.001) were significantly greater for mental fatigue than mental recovery. Nearly all respondents perceived mental fatigue and mental recovery impacted training and competition performance, with a greater negative impact during competition (p < 0.001). A limited number of respondents reported deliberate assessment (31.1%) or management (51.2%) of mental fatigue and mental recovery. A combination of sources of evidence were used to inform practice, with common challenges to implementation including staff knowledge, athlete‐buy in, time‐availability, and a lack of evidence. Practitioners reported that assessing and managing mental fatigue and mental recovery was multi‐disciplinary in nature.ConclusionPractitioners reported that mental fatigue and mental recovery did impact performance, yet this was not reflected in the implementation of evidence‐based assessment and management practices in high‐performance sport.

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How to Tackle Mental Fatigue: A Systematic Review of Potential Countermeasures and Their Underlying Mechanisms

et al. 2022

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The Physiological Nature of Mental Fatigue: Current Knowledge and Future Avenues for Sport Science

Cited by 16 publications

References 12 publications

Interindividual Variability in Mental Fatigue-Related Impairments in Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Multiple Meta-regression

Interindividual Variability in Mental Fatigue-Related Impairments in Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Multiple Meta-regression

Global practitioner assessment and management of mental fatigue and mental recovery in high‐performance sport: A need for evidence‐based best‐practice guidelines

How to Tackle Mental Fatigue: A Systematic Review of Potential Countermeasures and Their Underlying Mechanisms

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