REF-018 · André, Audiffren & Englert, 2025 · Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 16, Art. 1616171 — "Brain endurance training as a strategy for reducing mental fatigue" · Paper
Brain Endurance Training (BET): dual-task training to resist mental fatigue
Narrative review
Concept
Mental fatigue is a psychobiological state from sustained mental effort that impairs sports performance across disciplines. BET combines cognitive and physical training to build resistance to it — typically a cognitive task performed at the same time as physical work (dual-task), which the review finds more effective than doing the tasks one after the other. The cognitive tasks usually target executive functions such as sustained attention and inhibitory control.
Key Findings (from the review)
BET consistently improves endurance performance in the studies reviewed; its effect on subjective mental fatigue is less conclusive
Perceived exertion and brain-oxygenation data suggest BET lowers the cognitive cost of combined mental and physical effort
Endurance athletes may be more resilient to mental fatigue than others, but results are mixed
Proposed neural basis: changes in the salience, default-mode and frontoparietal networks (emerging evidence, imaging studies still needed)
Practical Application
What the review supports: adding a cognitive task during (not before or after) physical training builds resistance to mental fatigue and improves endurance performance in the studies reviewed, with lower perceived exertion for the same work; the subjective feeling of mental fatigue is less consistently reduced. No dose or frequency is given in the abstract.
Not from this paper; the base's own practice: 1-2 sessions a week with a cognitive task (counting, reaction or Stroop-type task on a phone) layered onto an easy Z2 ride, kept away from key quality sessions.
Limitations
Narrative review; the abstract reports no pooled effect sizes, protocols or doses; the evidence base is described as "still emerging".
How this entry was checked and changed
Why this level
regraded 2026-09-27 from B+: narrative review without systematic method
Content correction 2026-09-27
Practical "1-2×/week add cognitive task to Z2" -> not in the review's abstract; relabelled as the base's own practice.
Concept "on race day RPE lower at same power" -> the review says BET reduces perceived exertion/cognitive cost and improves endurance performance; wording aligned, race-day claim dropped. Key findings and Limitations added from the abstract.
Level B+ -> C+ (narrative review without systematic method).