Introduction

Mental fatigue (MF) is a psychobiological state that impairs cognitive as well as physical performance in different settings. Recently, numerous studies have sought ways to counteract these negative effects of MF. An overview of the explored countermeasures for MF is, however, lacking.

Objectives

The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the different MF countermeasures currently explored in literature. Countermeasures were classified by the timing of application (before, during or after the moment of MF) and type of intervention (behavioural, physiological and psychological).

Methods

The databases of PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science and PsycINFO were searched until March 7, 2022. Studies were eligible when MF was induced using a task with a duration of at least 30 min, when they assessed MF markers in at least two out of the three areas wherein MF markers have been defined (i.e., behavioural, subjective and/or [neuro]physiological) and used a placebo or control group for the countermeasure.

Results

A total of 33 studies investigated one or more countermeasures against MF. Of these, eight studies assessed a behavioural countermeasure, 22 a physiological one, one a psychological countermeasure and two a combination of a behavioural and psychological countermeasure. The general finding was that a vast majority of the countermeasures induced a positive effect on behavioural (e.g., task or sport performance) and/or subjective MF markers (e.g., visual analogue scale for MF or alertness). No definitive conclusion could be drawn regarding the effect of the employed countermeasures on (neuro)physiological markers of MF as only 19 of the included studies investigated these measures, and within these a large heterogeneity in the evaluated (neuro)physiological markers was present.

Discussion

Within the physiological countermeasures it seems that the use of odours during a MF task or caffeine before the MF task are the most promising interventions in combating MF. Promising behavioural (e.g., listening to music) and psychological (e.g., extrinsic motivation) countermeasures of MF have also been reported. The most assumed mechanism through which these countermeasures operate is the dopaminergic system. However, this mechanism remains speculative as (neuro)physiological markers of MF have been scarcely evaluated to date.

Conclusion

The present systematic review reveals that a wide range of countermeasures have been found to successfully counteract MF on a subjective, (neuro)physiological and/or behavioural level. Of these, caffeine, odours, music and extrinsic motivation are the most evidenced for countering MF. To provide in-detail practical guidelines for the real-life application of MF countermeasures, more research must be performed into the underlying mechanisms and into the optimal dosage and time of application/intake.

中文翻译：

---

如何应对精神疲劳：潜在对策及其潜在机制的系统回顾

介绍

精神疲劳 (MF) 是一种心理生物学状态，会在不同环境中损害认知和身体表现。最近，许多研究都在寻找抵消 MF 的这些负面影响的方法。然而，缺乏对已探索的 MF 对策的概述。

目标

本综述的目的是概述目前在文献中探索的不同 MF 对策。对策按应用时间（在 MF 之前、期间或之后）和干预类型（行为、生理和心理）进行分类。

方法

搜索了 PubMed (MEDLINE)、Web of Science 和 PsycINFO 的数据库，直到 2022 年 3 月 7 日。当使用持续时间至少为 30 分钟的任务诱导 MF 时，当他们评估至少两次中的 MF 标记时，研究符合条件在三个领域中，MF 标记已被定义（即行为、主观和/或 [神经] 生理）并使用安慰剂或对照组进行对策。

结果

共有 33 项研究调查了针对 MF 的一种或多种对策。其中，8 项研究评估了一种行为对策，22 项评估了生理对策，1 项评估了心理对策，2 项评估了行为和心理对策的组合。一般的发现是，绝大多数对策对行为（例如，任务或运动表现）和/或主观 MF 标记（例如，MF 的视觉模拟量表或警觉性）产生了积极影响。关于所采用的对策对 MF 的（神​​经）生理标志物的影响，无法得出明确的结论，因为只有 19 项纳入的研究调查了这些措施，并且在这些研究中，评估的（神经）生理标志物存在很大的异质性。

讨论

在生理对策中，似乎在 MF 任务期间使用气味或在 MF 任务之前使用咖啡因是对抗 MF 最有希望的干预措施。MF 的有希望的行为（例如，听音乐）和心理（例如，外在动机）对策也有报道。这些对抗措施发挥作用的最假设机制是多巴胺能系统。然而，这种机制仍然是推测性的，因为迄今为止几乎没有评估 MF 的（神​​经）生理标志物。

结论

目前的系统评价表明，已发现广泛的对策可以在主观、（神经）生理和/或行为水平上成功地抵消 MF。其中，咖啡因、气味、音乐和外在动机是对抗 MF 最有效的证据。为了为 MF 对策的实际应用提供详细的实用指南，必须对潜在机制以及应用/摄入的最佳剂量和时间进行更多研究。