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. 2022 Nov 2;19(21):14360.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192114360.

Effects of Mental Fatigue on Reaction Time in Sportsmen

Gian Mario Migliaccio  1 , Gloria Di Filippo  2 , Luca Russo  3 , Tania Orgiana  1 , Luca Paolo Ardigò  4   5 , Marcela Zimmermann Casal  6 , Leonardo Alexandre Peyré-Tartaruga  6 , Johnny Padulo  7
Affiliations

Effects of Mental Fatigue on Reaction Time in Sportsmen

Gian Mario Migliaccio et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Aim: Mental fatigue (MF) has been defined as a psychobiological state commonly caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. However, the differences between women and men in their reaction times (RTs) to visual stimuli due to mental fatigue remain largely unknown. We compare the differences in RT and heart rate after an acute intervention of mental fatigue between male and female athletes.

Materials and methods: For this aim, 64 participants (age 31.7 ± 6.2 y) performed a routine of 15 min of the Stroop test (PsyTool), with 600 tasks and five different colors. Their heart rate (HR) was registered before, during, and one, three, and five minutes after the Stroop test. Meanwhile, the RT was evaluated before and after the Stroop test. A general linear mixed model (GLMM) and a Bonferroni post hoc test were used to compare the HR between the conditions and an ANOVA two-way analysis was used to compare the values pre-/post-Stroop test. (α = 0.05).

Results: The GLMM for HR showed an effect on the time (p < 0.001) and the time × group interaction (p = 0.004). The RT was significantly increased pre- to post-Stroop test (p < 0.05); however, there was no difference between the pre- and post-HR measurements (p = 1.000) and the measurements one (p = 0.559), three (p = 1.000) and five (p = 1.000) min after the Stroop test.

Conclusion: The present findings suggest that the parasympathetic branch of the autonomous nervous system which functions as a relaxation system tends to be activated under increasing mental fatigue, with a decreased performance (RT) similarly in men and women. Therefore, athletes could use MF induced during training to improve the time delay related to motor tasks.

Keywords: Stroop test; heart rate; mental fatigue; response time.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study design.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Color modified keyboard.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Heart rate in each condition of the experimental test. HRR: Frequency at rest; HRPRRT: Pre-Stroop test heart rate; HRPOTR: Post-Stroop test heart rate; HRST1: Heart rate at 1/3 of the Stroop test; HRST2: Heart rate at 2/3 of the Stroop test; HRST3: Heart rate at the completion of the Stroop test; HR1: Heart rate 1 ‘from the end; HR3: Heart rate 3 ‘from the end; HR5: Heart rate 5 ‘from the end. *—p < 0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Pre-/post-Stroop test reaction time (single tests RT1,2,3, in grey color). Average (in black color) RTPR pre and RTPO post stroop-test comparison (*—p < 0.05). RT1: Reaction time test 1 of 3; RT2: Reaction time test 2 of 3; RT3: Reaction time test 3 of 3; RTPR: Reaction media in the three tests in pre-test; RTPO: Reaction media in the three tests in post-test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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