Does mental fatigue pose a risk in older age? The effectiveness of combined training as a solution

Díaz-García, Jesús; Ring, Christopher; Rubio-Morales, Ana; García-Calvo, Tomás · 2025 · Crossref

DOI: 10.18176/archmeddeporte.00186

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Summary

This study investigates whether mental fatigue poses a health risk to older adults and evaluates the efficacy of Brain Endurance Training (BET) as a preventive intervention. Motivated by the gap in literature regarding mental fatigue in aging populations, the researchers aimed to clarify the impact of mental fatigue on physical and cognitive performance, determine the moderating role of cognitive decline, and test BET’s ability to mitigate these effects. The study involved 30 sedentary adults aged 65–76 without severe physical or mental illnesses. Participants were stratified into two groups based on Mini-Mental State Examination scores: low cognitive impairment (≥25 points) and medium cognitive impairment (21–24 points). The experimental design consisted of two counterbalanced sessions where participants underwent either a control condition (20 minutes of documentary viewing) or an experimental condition inducing mental fatigue (20 minutes of Time Load Dual Back task). Following each condition, researchers measured subjective mental fatigue via a Visual Analogue Scale, physical performance through Chair-stand, Arm-curl, and six-minute walking tests, and cognitive performance using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task and Incongruent Stroop test. Additionally, a subset of 12 participants with medium cognitive impairment underwent an eight-week BET intervention, comprising three weekly sessions of combined strength, aerobic, and cognitive exercises. Results demonstrated that mental fatigue significantly impaired both physical and cognitive performance in all participants. Specifically, mental fatigue reduced aerobic capacity, upper and lower body muscular endurance, reaction time, and response inhibition. Crucially, individuals with medium cognitive impairment exhibited significantly greater performance decrements and higher subjective fatigue levels compared to those with low impairment, confirming cognitive decline as a moderator of fatigability. The eight-week BET intervention proved effective for the medium impairment group, significantly improving physical and cognitive performance both at rest and under mental fatigue conditions. Furthermore, BET reduced the subjective perception of mental fatigue induced by the training tasks. The findings conclude that mental fatigue presents a clinical risk in aging, particularly for those with cognitive decline, by exacerbating performance deficits and health risks. The study validates Brain Endurance Training as an effective strategy to counteract these negative effects. The authors recommend quantifying mental fatigue in older populations and promoting active aging through combined training protocols to prevent or mitigate the adverse impacts of mental fatigue on health and performance.

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• cognitive impairment