What does this research mean for the field?

Heart rate variability, particularly the low frequency component and root mean square of successive differences, is a reliable autonomic marker for mental fatigue that consistently increases with prolonged cognitive time-on-task. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

December 4, 2023Biological Psychology51 citationsOpen Access

Change in heart rate variability with increasing time-on-task as a marker for mental fatigue: A systematic review

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Systematic Review. Population: Mental fatigue. Intervention: Prolonged cognitive tasks (Time-on-Task). Primary outcome: Change in heart rate variability (HRV) indices.

ÁCÁrpád CsathóUniversity of Pecs DLDimitri van der LindenErasmus University Rotterdam AMAndrás MatuzUniversity of Pecs

Key Result

Prolonged cognitive tasks (Time-on-Task) consistently induced significant changes in heart rate variability, particularly increasing the low frequency component and time domain indices like RMSSD.

Study Design

Type

Systematic Review

Structured PICO

Does prolonged cognitive task performance (Time-on-Task) change heart rate variability indices in healthy individuals?

Population

Healthy individuals (mostly young adults, age range 18-40 years, university students) performing prolonged cognitive tasks to induce mental fatigue

Intervention

Prolonged cognitive tasks (Time-on-Task)

Outcome

Changes in heart rate variability (HRV) indicessurrogate

Heart rate variability, particularly the low frequency component and RMSSD, shows consistent changes during prolonged cognitive tasks, suggesting it is a reliable autonomic marker for Time-on-Task induced mental fatigue.

Limitations

Diversity in methodological approaches and study designs precluded a formal meta-analysis.
Relatively small sample sizes in the included experimental studies.
Sample size was justified with a-priori power analysis in only 6 of the 19 studies.
It was non-determinable whether the participants were representative of the entire population from which they were recruited.

Abstract

Fatigue-specific changes in the autonomic nervous system are often assumed to underlie the development of mental fatigue caused by prolonged cognitive tasks (i.e. Time-on-Task). Therefore, several previous studies have chosen to investigate the Time-on-Task related changes in heart rate variability (HRV). However, previous studies have used many different HRV indices, and their results often show inconsistencies. The present study, therefore, systematically reviewed previous empirical HRV studies with healthy individuals and in which mental fatigue is induced by prolonged cognitive tasks. Articles relevant to the objectives were systematically searched and selected by applying the PRISMA guidelines. We screened 360 records found on 4 databases and found that 19 studies were eligible for full review in accordance with the inclusion criteria. In general, all studies reviewed (with the exception of two studies) found significant changes in HRV with increasing Time-on-Task, suggesting that HRV is a reliable autonomic marker for Time-on-Task induced fatigue. The most conclusive HRV indices that showed a consistent Time-on-Task effect were the low frequency component of HRV and the time domain indices, particularly the root mean square of successive differences. Time-on-Task typically induced an increasing trend in both type of measures.

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