Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31873926›Full record

SynthesisSports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)2020

Effects of Prior Cognitive Exertion on Physical Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Denver M Y Brown, Jeffrey D Graham, Kira I Innes, Sheereen Harris, Ashley Flemington, Steven R Bray

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 65 papers, 10 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
65citing papers in PubMed, 10 pooled it
13.4field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

65 citing papers in PubMed, 10 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 186 citations in OpenAlex.

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  18. Investigating the Effects of Mental Fatigue on Resistance Exercise Performance.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
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  20. [A novel mental fatigue detecting method based on single-channel electroencephalogram using hybrid convolutional neural network combined with Transformer].Sheng wu yi xue gong cheng xue za zhi = Journal of biomedical engineering = Shengwu yixue gongchengxue zazhi · 2026
    Article

5 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Denver M Y BrownFaculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, 55 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, M5S 2W6, Canada. denver.brown@utoronto.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4078-8253
Jeffrey D GrahamDepartment of Family Medicine, McMaster University, 100 Main St. W, 5th Floor, Hamilton, ON, L8P 1H6, Canada.
Kira I InnesDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Ivor Wynne Center, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
Sheereen HarrisDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Ivor Wynne Center, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
Ashley FlemingtonDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Ivor Wynne Center, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
Steven R BrayDepartment of Kinesiology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Ivor Wynne Center, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4K1, Canada.
McMaster University · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAn emerging body of the literature in the past two decades has generally shown that prior cognitive exertion is associated with a subsequent decline in physical performance. Two parallel, but overlapping, bodies of literature (i.e., ego depletion, mental fatigue) have examined this question. However, research to date has not merged these separate lines of inquiry to assess the overall magnitude of this effect.

objectiveThe present work reports the results of a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis examining carryover effects of cognitive exertion on physical performance.

methodsA systematic search of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus was conducted. Only randomized controlled trials involving healthy humans, a central executive task requiring cognitive exertion, an easier cognitive comparison task, and a physical performance task were included.

resultsA total of 73 studies provided 91 comparisons with 2581 participants. Random effects meta-analysis showed a significant small-to-medium negative effect of prior cognitive exertion on physical performance (g = - 0.38 [95% CI - 0.46, - 0.31]). Subgroup analyses showed that cognitive tasks lasting < 30-min (g = - 0.45) and ≥ 30-min (g = - 0.30) have similar significant negative effects on subsequent physical performance. Prior cognitive exertion significantly impairs isometric resistance (g = - 0.57), motor (g = - 0.57), dynamic resistance (g = - 0.51), and aerobic performance (g = - 0.26), but the effects on maximal anaerobic performance are trivial and non-significant (g = 0.10). Studies employing between-subject designs showed a medium negative effect (g = - 0.65), whereas within-subject designs had a small negative effect (g = - 0.28).

conclusionFindings demonstrate that cognitive exertion has a negative effect on subsequent physical performance that is not due to chance and suggest that previous meta-analysis results may have underestimated the overall effect.

Indexed as

Mental FatiguePhysical Functional PerformanceCognitionHumansRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID31873926
OpenAlexW2995111942

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.