Int J Sports Med
DOI: 10.1055/a-2514-1195
Review

Challenges and perspectives with understanding the concept of mental fatigue.

Liam Oliver
1   School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia (Ringgold ID: RIN1969)
,
Stephen Goodman
2   School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, Australia (Ringgold ID: RIN1319)
,
John Sullivan
3   Psychology, High Performance Sport New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand (Ringgold ID: RIN540744)
,
Jonathan Peake
4   School of Biomedical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
,
5   School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Brisbane, Australia
› Author Affiliations

Mental fatigue is referred to as a psychophysiological or neurobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. Sports and exercise science research have investigated the effects of experimentally induced mental fatigue on cognitive performance, with mixed results. It has been suggested that negative effects of mental fatigue on cognition performance in laboratory studies could translate to impaired sport performance. However, it remains unclear if impairments in sport performance are due to mental fatigue and how mental fatigue may differ from physical fatigue. Fatigue is well understood as a complex multifactorial construct involving interactions between physiological and neuropsychological responses across brain regions. It may be prudent for researchers to return to the origins of fatigue and cognition before attempting to connect mental fatigue and sport cognition. This article reviews the concept of mental fatigue, its mechanisms and neuroanatomical basis, models of cognition relevant to sports science, how mental fatigue may influence cognition, and suggests future research directions. Mental fatigue as a construct separate from fatigue could be an oversight that has hindered the development of our understanding of mental fatigue. Future sports science research could work to enhance our knowledge of our definitions of fatigue.



Publication History

Received: 15 July 2024

Accepted after revision: 09 January 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
09 January 2025

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