The association between trait mindfulness and mental fatigue-related neurocognitive function and endurance...

The present study aims to examine whether trait mindfulness in athletes is associated with impairments in neurocognitive function and endurance performance resulting from mental fatigue.

Ninety athletes aged 18-25 years were recruited and categorized into higher trait mindfulness (HM, n = 27), intermediate trait mindfulness (IM, n = 35), and lower trait mindfulness (LM, n = 28). Participants completed the two sessions using a counterbalanced design, in which the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT) was administered for mental fatigue session (MF; incongruent SCWT) and a control session (CON; congruent SCWT). Following SCWT, behavioral and neuroelectric outcomes of neurocognitive function were measured using Flanker task with electroencephalography recording. Endurance performance outcomes were measured using the graded exercise test (GXT). Task motivation and mood states were assessed as secondary outcome.

HM showed higher accuracy on incongruent Flanker trials following the SCWT than LM. The HM and IM showed similar time to exhaustion in GXT between MF and CON, whereas LM showed shorter time to exhaustion and increased negative mood states in the MF.

These findings suggest that higher trait mindfulness is associated with better inhibitory control following a prior cognitive task, and less susceptible to mental fatigue-related impairments in endurance performance and mood among athletes, highlighting the value of trait mindfulness under mental fatigue.