Mental fatigue impairs simple reaction time in non-athletes more than athletes

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Cognitive enhancements are associated with persistent sport participation. The primary objective of this investigation was to assess mental fatigue during a prolonged simple reaction time task in athletes as compared to non-athletes. Methods: Forty men (20 athletes and 20 non-athletes; Age = 23.81 ± 2.28 years) completed a prolonged reaction time (RT) task of 51 min duration. The task included three periods of 17 min each, with no breaks, each period consisted of 200 RT trials. The participants’ ratings of mental fatigue were assessed with a modified visual analogue mood scale (VAMS) before and after the fatigue-inducing mental task. Results: Mental fatigue had a significant effect on both athletes and non-athletes (P ≤ .001). Athletes evidenced shorter RTs during the second and third periods of the prolonged reaction time task as compared with to non-athletes. Conclusion: This study suggested that athletes exhibit greater resistance to mental fatigue than non-athletes. It is therefore suggested that habitual exercise may reduce the negative effect of mental fatigue on a prolonged cognitive task.