Studying the Perceptive and Cognitive Function Under the Stress of Match in Female Futsal Players

Many studies have shown that stress adversely effects cognitive function. However, the effect of acute mental stress is not well understood.
In this study, the effect of match-related stress on cognitive performance factors before and after matches has been studied among female futsal players of Pol-e Dokhtar, Lorestan province, in the west of Iran.
Futsal players’ perceptive and cognitive functions were studied using paced auditory serial test (PASAT) before and after each match. Ten female futsal players from Pol-e Dokhtar, Lorestan, with an average age of 20 ± 2 were tested using PASAT, 60 minutes before and after each match. Their cognitive function was measured using criteria, such as general mental health (GMH), sustained attention (SA), average response speed (ARS), and mental fatigue (MF). Moreover, the changes in salivary cortisol concentration were also measured.
The results indicated that in female futsal players, cortisol concentration in plasma was much higher before the match, compared with its concentration after the match. It should also be noted that general health, sustained attention, and response speed were higher after the match. On the other hand, their mental fatigue after the match was significantly lower than before the match.
It could be concluded that, before the match, stress level could highly effect individuals’ cognitive function. This impaired cognitive function seems to be due to severe mental stress, which in turn increases blood cortisol level.