The Effect of Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse on Cognitive-Motor and Neuromuscular Performance Following Induced Intermittent Fatigue in Basketball Players

Sum, Isaac Jun Hong (2026) The Effect of Carbohydrate Mouth Rinse on Cognitive-Motor and Neuromuscular Performance Following Induced Intermittent Fatigue in Basketball Players. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effects of carbohydrate mouth rinse (CMR) on cognitive-motor and neuromuscular performance following induced intermittent fatigue in male university basketball players. A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study was conducted with ten male basketball players (age: 21.3 ± 1.4 years; body mass: 72.3 ± 10.1 kg; height: 175.4 ± 7.1 cm; playing experience: 5.4 ± 3.2 years). Participants completed two conditions: carbohydrate (CHO; 25 mL, 6.4% maltodextrin) and placebo (PLA; 25 mL, 0.05% sucralose), rinsing for 10 seconds immediately following the cessation of the fatigue protocol, with a 72-hour washout period. Fatigue was induced using the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1. Cognitive-motor performance was assessed using SMARTfit (response time and accuracy), while neuromuscular performance was evaluated using a countermovement jump (jump height and propulsive impulse) and drop jump (RSI). Data were analysed using a two-way repeated measures ANOVA. The two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed no significant condition × time interaction effects for cognitive-motor performance variables, namely response time (p = .179, η²p = .191) and accuracy (p = .330, η²p = .105), as well as neuromuscular performance variables including RSI (p = .514, η²p = .049), jump height (p = .393, η²p = .082), and propulsive impulse (p = .592, η²p = .033). These findings indicate that a 10-second carbohydrate mouth rinse did not significantly attenuate fatigue-induced declines in performance. Although the differences were not statistically significant, descriptive analysis showed that the CHO condition demonstrated smaller performance decrements compared to PLA. RSI improved by +0.045 under CHO but declined by −0.012 in PLA, while response time improved by −0.05 s in CHO compared to a worsening of +0.006 s in PLA. The lack of statistical significance may be attributed to a Type II error resulting from the small sample size. Therefore, further investigation is needed to determine whether the observed trends translate into meaningful practical advantages in a larger cohort.