Does Mental Fatigue Affect Physical Performance in Wheelchair Basketball Players? An Individualized Cognitive Load Approach

The negative effects of mental fatigue on physical performance have been well established in different sports that require aerobic endurance, but, in this study, we investigated the impact of mental fatigue on the physical performance of paralympic (wheelchair basketball) athletes. Eleven participants completed a baseline and two experimental sessions, each separated by 24 hours. The baseline session familiarized participants with the measurements. During each experimental session, athletes performed a version of the Yo-Yo intermittent 10-m test under one of two conditions: (a) after watching a documentary for 30 minutes (control), and (b) after high cognitive effort, induced by the Stroop test. Rating of perceived effort (RPE) was measured during both conditions after cognitive and physical effort. We used estimation statistics, paired Hedge's <i>g</i> for repeated measures with 95% bootstrap confidence intervals (CI) to compare conditions. Results showed that high cognitive effort significantly reduced performance in distance covered (control <i>M</i> = 1169, <i>SD</i> = 429 m; high cognitive effort <i>M</i> = 924, <i>SD</i> = 399 m), with a moderate effect size (Hedge's <i>g</i> = -0.54 [95% CI -1.06; -1.16]), indicating a moderately negative mental fatigue impact on intermittent endurance performance. Test duration decreased (control <i>M</i> = 18, <i>SD</i> = 6.89 min; high cognitive effort <i>M</i> = 14, <i>SD</i> = 6.49 min), also with a moderate effect size (Hedge's <i>g</i> = -0.54 [95% CI -1.06; -1.17]). Furthermore, RPE increased under high cognitive effort (control <i>M</i> = 15, <i>SD</i> = 0.9; high cognitive effort <i>M =</i> 17, <i>SD</i> = 1.4), with a large effect size (Hedge's <i>g</i> = 1.59 [95% CI 0.87; 2.31]), suggesting considerably increased perceived exertion. Thus, the evidence obtained suggests that mental fatigue impairs physical performance and increases perceived effort among wheelchair athletes.