Psychophysiological Responses and Cognitive Performance: A Systematic Review of Mental Fatigue on Soccer Performance

Abstract

Background:  Successful performance in soccer is associated with multiple factors such as physical, technical and perceptual-cognitive performance. In contrast to physical fatigue, nowadays one of the most popular affecting factors is mental fatigue, especially in soccer. Objectives:  This systematic review aims to clarify the impact of mental fatigue intervention on psychophysiological responses and cognitive performance in soccer. Methods:  A literature review was conducted by using the keywords of “mental fatigue and soccer” and “cognitive fatigue and soccer” in the content of confined space, psychophysiological and cognitive performance in soccer within the databases of Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science (WOS) and Sport Discuss from the 1st of January 2010 to the 31st of January 2022. Systematic searches of six databases resulted in consist of 7 studies. The study was characterized based on PICO (Population, Intervention, Comparison and Outcome) criteria. Results:  The current results showed that mental fatigue had a negative impact on psychophysiological responses, impaired cognitive performance, and decreased utilization of technical skills. Conclusions:  According to this systematic review, mental fatigue reduces performance via impairing psychophysiological responses, cognitive performance, and technical skills in soccer.