No Effects of Mental Fatigue and Cerebral Stimulation on Physical Performance of Master Swimmers

Frontiers in Psychology

article

Eduardo Macedo Penna¹  Edson Filho³  Bruno Teobaldo Campos²  Renato Melo Ferreira⁴  Juliana Otoni Parma²  Guilherme Menezes Lage²  Victor Silveira Coswig¹  Samuel Penna Wanner²  Luciano Sales Prado² 

[1] Universidade Federal do Pará;LAFISE – Laboratório de Fisiologia do Exercício, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais;Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, United States;LAQUA – Laboratório de Atividades Aquáticas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto;CTE- Centro de Treinamento Esportivo/UFMG

关键词: mental fatigue;    swimming;    transcranial direct current stimulation;    master athletes;    endurance;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpsyg.2021.656499

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Background: Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state caused by extended periods of cognitive effort, and evidence suggests that mentally fatigued athletes present impaired physical performance. Different ergogenic aids have been proposed to counteract the deleterious effects of mental fatigue, but whether brain stimulation can counteract mental fatigue is still unknown. This scenario is even more obscure considering the effects of these interventions (mental fatigue induction and brain stimulation) in a very experienced population consisting of master athletes. Method: Ten master swimmers (30 ± 6 years old and 14 ± 8 years of experience) participated in the study. They underwent four experimental conditions before an 800-m freestyle test: mental fatigue with brain stimulation; mental fatigue without brain stimulation; absence of mental fatigue with brain stimulation; and absence of mental fatigue and no brain stimulation. Mental fatigue was induced by a cognitively demanding Stroop Color Test, whereas stimulation was applied on the temporal cortex. After that, the athletes swan 800 m as fast as possible and provided their ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) every 200 m. Results: Mental fatigue was effectively induced, as evidenced by a greater fatigue perception and more errors in the last blocks of the cognitive task. Mental fatigue induction did not influence performance (time to complete the swimming trial) and RPE. Similarly, brain stimulation failed to change these two parameters, regardless of mental fatigue induction. Conclusion: The prolonged physical performance of experienced master athletes is not influenced, under the present conditions, by mental fatigue induction, cerebral stimulation, and their association.

【 授权许可】

CC BY