Effect of Caffeine in Cognitive Functions
Abstract.
This paper explores two published scholarly articles that report on research conducted on the benefits of caffeine in cognitive functions. The parameters discussed include vigilance being the ability to concentrate on a task for a long time, attention and reaction times when subject has caffeine in their system. It answers the question whether caffeine can be considered as beneficial or not of any benefit to the body.
Keywords: Caffeine, cognitive function.
Effect of Caffeine on Cognitive Functions.
Caffeine is consumed worldwide with past studies indicating eighty percent usage by the globe’s population. Coffee and tea have been found to be the major sources of caffeine according to an earlier study by Heckman. Nevertheless, other caffeine-containing beverages and foods are; assorted soft drinks, cocoa beans, kola nuts and guarana berries. This popularity has been attributed to its perceived benefits for improved cognitive performance. The paper focuses on cognitive spheres affected positively by caffeine. Thus, the paper definitively advances that the benefits of caffeine related to cognition surpass the vaguely purported harm in the body.
After it is consumed orally, caffeine is quickly absorbed and its effects are felt after about thirty minutes. Having an elimination half-life range of between 2.5 to 10 hours, it is distributed rapidly in the brain and the body where its effects are felt. Caffeine’s effects on brain have been linked to its ability to act as an adenosine antagonist, itself being a central nerves-system modulator. The slowing down of neural activity is due to the binding process of adenosine to its receptors specifically the A1 and A2a, a process thought to play a role in sleep-wake regulation. Adenosine levels accumulate throughout the day and decreases when one is asleep, a phenomenon believed to increase the likelihood to sleep after an extended wakefulness. In this regard, caffeine being an antagonist, it mitigates these inhibitory effects by hampering with adenosine receptors resulting in the wake-promoting effects of caffeine.(Einöther & Giesbrecht, 2013). Cognition function conducted by Einother and Giesbrecht in their study touched on attention, both simple and complex attention processes.
For simple attention, a simple reaction time (SRT) test based on earlier studies, hypothesizing how fast people respond to a target stimuli, false alarm or non-target stimuli and failure for responding to a stimuli was conducted. Response speeds significantly improved on caffeine intake. However, accuracy was not significant due to the fact that accuracy tends to be high in the case of SRT. In the repeat digit detection (RDD) test, caffeine was found to have a significant effect where subject were to only respond to a particular three digit number. Complex attention processing based on two tests namely, categorical search test (CRT) and rapid visual information processing (RVIP) indicated an improvement in both response speed and accuracy. Interestingly, medium to high doses of caffeine (150-450mg) causes faster responses while lower doses (50-150mg) add a degree of accuracy. Additionally, vigilance is affected significantly by caffeine intake.
Vigilance is the ability to sustain performance, especially in lengthy, boring and tedious tasks. This is the cognitive function most amplified by caffeine. Studies indicate doses in 200 mg range enhance performance levels for rested people. In sleep-deprived people for up to three days however, doses of between 200 to 300 gm increases performance. Examples of vigilance test studies include; one hour long Wilkinson auditory vigilance and visual detection rates. In both instances, caffeine has a demonstrated improvement in performance. (McLellan, Caldwell, & Lieberman, 2016). The study further tests reaction time as a cognitive parameter.
Both simple and or visual reaction time are improved by caffeine. In doses ranging from 12.5 to 400mg, for rested as well as sleep-deprived subject, caffeine enhances reaction time to a stimuli. This however is not supported by many studies but discrepancies exist in such studies where they are attributable in study population. Nonetheless, a number of studies confirm these findings.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, caffeine as has been demonstrated acts as a cognitive enhancer to the body and brain function. As discussed, vigilance, reaction time and attention are significantly improved by caffeine intake. That said, people should add it to their daily diet to experience its benefits.
References.
Einöther, S. J., & Giesbrecht, T. (2013). Caffeine as an attention enhancer: reviewing existing assumptions. Psychopharmacology, 225(2), 251–274.
McLellan, T. M., Caldwell, J. A., & Lieberman, H. R. (2016). A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neuroscience & Bio behavioral Reviews, 71, 294–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.001