title: The Effects of Mental Fatigue on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by prolonged periods of demanding cognitive activity. It has recently been suggested that mental fatigue can affect physical performance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to evaluate the literature on impairment of physical performance due to mental fatigue and to create an overview of the potential factors underlying this effect.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two electronic databases, PubMed and Web of Science (until 28 April 2016), were searched for studies designed to test whether mental fatigue influenced performance of a physical task or influenced physiological and/or perceptual responses during the physical task. Studies using short (<30 min) self-regulatory depletion tasks were excluded from the review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 11 articles were included, of which six were of strong and five of moderate quality. The general finding was a decline in endurance performance (decreased time to exhaustion and self-selected power output/velocity or increased completion time) associated with a higher than normal perceived exertion. Physiological variables traditionally associated with endurance performance (heart rate, blood lactate, oxygen uptake, cardiac output, maximal aerobic capacity) were unaffected by mental fatigue. Maximal strength, power, and anaerobic work were not affected by mental fatigue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The duration and intensity of the physical task appear to be important factors in the decrease in physical performance due to mental fatigue. The most important factor responsible for the negative impact of mental fatigue on endurance performance is a higher perceived exertion.
authors.affiliation: Human Physiology Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.|Endurance research group, School of Sport and Exercise SciencesUniversity of Kent at Medway, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4Ag, UK.
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Cutsem
authors.affiliation: Endurance research group, School of Sport and Exercise SciencesUniversity of Kent at Medway, Chatham Maritime, Kent, ME4 4Ag, UK.
authors.forename: Samuele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marcora
authors.affiliation: Human Physiology Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: De Pauw
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy Education, Elon University, Elon, NC, 27244, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Human Physiology Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.|School of Public Health, Tropical Medicine and Rehabilitation Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Romain
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Meeusen
authors.affiliation: Human Physiology Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium. bart.roelands@vub.ac.be.|Fund for Scientific Research Flanders (FWO), Brussels, Belgium. bart.roelands@vub.ac.be.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2808-044X
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roelands
mesh_terms: D054874:Athletic Performance / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D010465:Perception; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D005082:Physical Exertion