The Impact of Caffeine on Memory

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Emily Chappelear ◽  
Cassa Drury
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Caffeine Consumption ◽  
Memory And Attention ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Time Test ◽  
The Impact

Many people rely on caffeine as part of their daily routine to induce the feeling of wakefulness. However, the effects of caffeine on various brain functions, such as memory, remains unclear. To study the impact of caffeine on memory and attention, we conducted a pilot study on individuals with varying levels of caffeine consumption. Each individual completed a survey, memory test, and reaction time test. The results did not elucidate clear trends or significant differences between those who consumed caffeine and those who did not. This study suggests that caffeine intake does not have a direct impact on memory, but a correlation between reaction time variability and memory suggested that more research could provide deeper insights into the effects of various levels of caffeine consumption.

Accurate reaction time methods demonstrate similar results from different sensory modalities

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Drew McRacken ◽  
Maddie Dyson ◽  
Kevin Hu
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Reaction Time Methods ◽  
Test Reaction ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Sensory Modalities ◽  
Visual Reaction ◽  
The Impact

Over the past few decades, there has been a significant number of reports that suggested that reaction times for different sensory modalities were different – e.g., that visual reaction time was slower than tactile reaction time. A recent report by Holden and colleagues stated that (1) there has been a significant historic upward drift in reaction times reported in the literature, (2) that this drift or degradation in reaction times could be accounted for by inaccuracies in the methods used and (3) that these inaccurate methods led to inaccurate reporting of differences between visual and tactile based reaction time testing.  The Holden study utilized robotics (i.e., no human factors) to test visual and tactile reaction time methods but did not assess how individuals would perform on different sensory modalities.  This study utilized three different sensory modalities: visual, auditory, and tactile, to test reaction time. By changing the way in which the subjects were prompted and measuring subsequent reaction time, the impact of sensory modality could be analyzed. Reaction time testing for two sensory modalities, auditory and visual, were administered through an Arduino Uno microcontroller device, while tactile-based reaction time testing was administered with the Brain Gauge. A range of stimulus intensities was delivered for the reaction times delivered by each sensory modality. The average reaction time and reaction time variability was assessed and a trend could be identified for the reaction time measurements of each of the sensory modalities. Switching the sensory modality did not result in a difference in reaction time and it was concluded that this was due to the implementation of accurate circuitry used to deliver each test. Increasing stimulus intensity for each sensory modality resulted in faster reaction times. The results of this study confirm the findings of Holden and colleagues and contradict the results reported in countless studies that conclude that (1) reaction times are historically slower now than they were 50 years ago and (2) that there are differences in reaction times for different sensory modalities (vision, hearing, tactile). The implications of this are that utilization of accurate reaction time methods could have a significant impact on clinical outcomes and that many methods in current clinical use are basically perpetuating poor methods and wasting time and money of countless subjects or patients.

The Impact of Concurrent Noise on Visual Search in Children With ADHD

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 1344-1353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Allen ◽  
Kristen Pammer
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
White Noise ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Detection Accuracy ◽  
Noise Condition ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Noise Stimulus ◽  
Children With Adhd ◽  
The Impact

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of a concurrent “white noise” stimulus on selective attention in children with ADHD. Method: Participants were 33 children aged 7 to 14 years, who had been previously diagnosed with ADHD. All children completed a computer-based conjunction search task under two noise conditions: a classroom noise condition and a classroom noise + white noise condition. The white noise stimulus was sounds of rain, administered using an iPhone application called Sleep Machine. Results: There were no overall differences between conditions for target detection accuracy, mean reaction time (RT), or reaction time variability ( SD). The impact of white noise on visual search depended on children’s medication status. Conclusion: White noise may improve task engagement for non-medicated children. White noise may be beneficial for task performance when used as an adjunct to medication.

scholarly journals Behavioral and Neurophysiological Markers of ADHD in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: A Large-Scale Clinical Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 155005942199334
Author(s):  
Marionna Münger ◽  
Gian Candrian ◽  
Johannes Kasper ◽  
Hossam Abdel-Rehim ◽  
Dominique Eich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Performance Test ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Daily Routine ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Related Potentials

This study aimed to re-evaluate the possible differences between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) subjects and healthy controls in the context of a standard Go/NoGo task (visual continuous performance test [VCPT]), frequently used to measure executive functions. In contrast to many previous studies, our sample comprises children, adolescents, and adults. We analyzed data from 447 ADHD patients and 227 healthy controls. By applying multivariate linear regression analyses, we controlled the group differences between ADHD patients and controls for age and sex. As dependent variables we used behavioral (number of omission and commission errors, reaction time, and reaction time variability) and neurophysiological measures (event-related potentials [ERPs]). In summary, we successfully replicated the deviations of ADHD subjects from healthy controls. The differences are small to moderate when expressed as effect size measures (number of omission errors: d = 0.60, reaction time variability: d = 0.56, contingent negative variation (CNV) and P3 amplitudes: −0.35 <  d < −0.47, ERP latencies: 0.21 <  d < 0.29). Further analyses revealed no substantial differences between ADHD subtypes (combined, inattentive, and hyperactive/impulsive presentation), subgroups according to high- and low-symptomatic burden or methylphenidate intake for their daily routine. We successfully replicated known differences between ADHD subjects and controls for the behavioral and neurophysiological variables. However, the small-to-moderate effect sizes limit their utility as biomarkers in the diagnostic procedure. The incongruence of self-reported symptomatic burden and clinical diagnosis emphasizes the challenges of the present clinical diagnosis with low reliability, which partially accounts for the low degree of discrimination between ADHD subjects and controls.

The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Continuous Performance Task Among Young Men With ADHD

2020 ◽  
pp. 108705471989781
Author(s):  
Orrie Dan ◽  
Ami Cohen ◽  
Kfir Asraf ◽  
Ivgeny Saveliev ◽  
Iris Haimov
Keyword(s):  
Young Adults ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Sleep Deprivation ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Continuous Performance ◽  
Continuous Performance Task ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Performance Task ◽  
Commission Errors ◽  
The Impact

Objective: To identify the impact of sleep deprivation on functioning of young adults with or without ADHD on a continuous performance attention task. Method: Thirty-four men ( M age = 25.38) with ( n = 16) or without ( n = 18) ADHD completed a continuous performance task before and after 25 hr of sustained wakefulness in a controlled environment. Results: In both groups, sleep deprivation caused a decline in performance on all variables: omission errors, commission errors, reaction time, and reaction time variability. In addition, the ADHD group made more omission and commission errors, and had greater reaction time variability. Conclusion: Sleep deprivation has a detrimental effect on attention functioning among young adults. In addition, although young adults with ADHD generally perform worse on continuous performance tasks than young adults without ADHD, the groups are similarly affected by sleep deprivation.

Visual vs. Tactile Reaction Testing Demonstrates Problems with Online Cognitive Testing

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeehyun Kim ◽  
Eric Francisco ◽  
Jameson Holden ◽  
Rachel Lensch ◽  
Bryan Kirsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Computer Systems ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Technical Problems ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Time Test ◽  
Reaction Time Test

Reaction time is one of the most commonly used measures in online cognitive assessments.  However, there are significant technical problems with the methods that are commonly deployed for obtaining this measure.  Most online cognitive toolkits obtain reaction time measures with a visual cue and some type of mechanical response (keyboard, mouse or touchscreen).  Both the hardware and software involved in the computer systems that these online cognitive tests depend on introduce significant delays and more significantly, variation in these delays.  The variability that is introduced by these systems leads to inaccurate results that health care professionals have come to rely on.  In this report, a comparison is made between the reaction time data collected with a tactile based device that is accurately calibrated to sub-millisecond accuracy (the Brain Gauge) to a visual reaction time test that relies on consumer grade computer systems in a manner that parallels the methods commonly used in online cognitive testing.  Forty healthy controls took both the tactile based and visually based reaction time test, and the results demonstrated a significant difference in both reaction time and reaction time variability.  Most significant was the difference in reaction time variability, which was 16 msec for the tactile test and 81 msec for the visual test.  While the differences could be partially accounted for by tactile vs. visual biological pathways, the variability of the results from the visual task are in the range predicted by error measured from previous reports that performed robotic testing to derive differences between the two modalities of testing.

Neuroticism and Speed-Accuracy Tradeoff in Self-Paced Speeded Mental Addition and Comparison

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hagen C. Flehmig ◽  
Michael B. Steinborn ◽  
Karl Westhoff ◽  
Robert Langner
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Response Speed ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
Comparison Task ◽  
Processing Efficiency ◽  
Mental Addition ◽  
Speed Accuracy ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Accuracy Tradeoff

Previous research suggests a relationship between neuroticism (N) and the speed-accuracy tradeoff in speeded performance: High-N individuals were observed performing less efficiently than low-N individuals and compensatorily overemphasizing response speed at the expense of accuracy. This study examined N-related performance differences in the serial mental addition and comparison task (SMACT) in 99 individuals, comparing several performance measures (i.e., response speed, accuracy, and variability), retest reliability, and practice effects. N was negatively correlated with mean reaction time but positively correlated with error percentage, indicating that high-N individuals tended to be faster but less accurate in their performance than low-N individuals. The strengthening of the relationship after practice demonstrated the reliability of the findings. There was, however, no relationship between N and distractibility (assessed via measures of reaction time variability). Our main findings are in line with the processing efficiency theory, extending the relationship between N and working style to sustained self-paced speeded mental addition.

scholarly journals THU0227 CAFFEINE INTAKE MODULATES DISEASE ACTIVITY AND CYTOKINES LEVELS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PATIENTS

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 340.2-341
Author(s):  
V. Orefice ◽  
F. Ceccarelli ◽  
C. Barbati ◽  
R. Lucchetti ◽  
G. Olivieri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Activity ◽  
Lupus Erythematosus ◽  
Caffeine Intake ◽  
Caffeine Consumption ◽  
Group 4 ◽  
Group 3 ◽  
Group 2 ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Group 1

Background:Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease mainly affecting women of childbearing age. The interplay between genetic and environmental factors may contribute to disease pathogenesis1. At today, no robust data are available about the possible contribute of diet in SLE. Caffeine, one of the most widely consumed products in the world, seems to interact with multiple components of the immune system by acting as a non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor2.In vitrodose-dependent treatment with caffeine seems to down-regulate mRNA levels of key inflammation-related genes and similarly reduce levels of different pro-inflammatory cytokines3.Objectives:We evaluated the impact of caffeine consumption on SLE-related disease phenotype and activity, in terms of clinimetric assessment and cytokines levels.Methods:We performed a cross-sectional study, enrolling consecutive patients and reporting their clinical and laboratory data. Disease activity was assessed by SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2k)4. Caffeine intake was evaluated by a 7-day food frequency questionnaire, including all the main sources of caffeine. As previously reported, patients were divided in four groups according to the daily caffeine intake: <29.1 mg/day (group 1), 29.2-153.7 mg/day (group 2), 153.8-376.5 mg/day (group 3) and >376.6 mg/day (group 4)5. At the end of questionnaire filling, blood samples were collected from each patient to assess cytokines levels. These were assessed by using a panel by Bio-Plex assays to measure the levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, IL-27, IFN-γ, IFN-α and Blys.Results:We enrolled 89 SLE patients (F/M 87/2, median age 46 years, IQR 14; median disease duration 144 months, IQR 150). The median intake of caffeine was 195 mg/day (IQR 160.5). At the time of the enrollment, 8 patients (8.9%) referred a caffeine intake < 29.1 mg/day (group 1), 27 patients (30.3%) between 29.2 and 153.7 mg/day (group 2), 45 patients (51%) between 153.8 and 376.5 mg/day (group 3) and 9 patients (10.1%) >376.6 mg/day (group 4). A negative correlation between the levels of caffeine and disease activity, evaluated with SLEDAI-2K, was observed (p=0.01, r=-0.26). By comparing the four groups, a significant higher prevalence of lupus nephritis, neuropsychiatric involvement, haematological manifestations, hypocomplementemia and anti-dsDNA positivity was observed in patients with less intake of caffeine (figure 1 A-E). Furthermore, patients with less intake of caffeine showed a significant more frequent use of glucocorticoids [group 4: 22.2%,versusgroup 1 (50.0%, p=0.0001), group 2 (55.5%, p=0.0001), group 3 (40.0%, p=0.009)]. Moving on cytokines analysis, a negative correlation between daily caffeine consumption and serum level of IFNγ was found (p=0.03, r=-0.2) (figure 2A); furthermore, patients with more caffeine intake showed significant lower levels of IFNα (p=0.02, figure 2B), IL-17 (p=0.01, figure 2C) and IL-6 (p=0.003, figure 2D).Conclusion:This is the first report demonstrating the impact of caffeine on SLE disease activity status, as demonstrated by the inverse correlation between its intake and both SLEDAI-2k values and cytokines levels. Moreover, in our cohort, patients with less caffeine consumption seems to have a more severe disease phenotype, especially in terms of renal and neuropsychiatric involvement. Our results seem to suggest a possible immunoregulatory dose-dependent effect of caffeine, through the modulation of serum cytokine levels, as already suggested byin vitroanalysis.References:[1]Kaul et alNat. Rev. Dis. Prim.2016; 2. Aronsen et alEurop Joul of Pharm2014; 3. Iris et alClin Immun.2018; 4. Gladman et al J Rheumatol. 2002; 5. Mikuls et alArth Rheum2002Disclosure of Interests:Valeria Orefice: None declared, Fulvia Ceccarelli: None declared, cristiana barbati: None declared, Ramona Lucchetti: None declared, Giulio Olivieri: None declared, enrica cipriano: None declared, Francesco Natalucci: None declared, Carlo Perricone: None declared, Francesca Romana Spinelli Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Consultant of: Novartis, Gilead, Lilly, Sanofi, Celgene, Speakers bureau: Lilly, cristiano alessandri Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Guido Valesini: None declared, Fabrizio Conti Speakers bureau: BMS, Lilly, Abbvie, Pfizer, Sanofi

scholarly journals Lateralization of attention in adults with ADHD: Evidence of pseudoneglect

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bartosz Helfer ◽  
Stefanos Maltezos ◽  
Elizabeth Liddle ◽  
Jonna Kuntsi ◽  
Philip Asherson
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Visual Field ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Study Participant ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Right Visual Field ◽  
Time Variability ◽  
Incentive Condition ◽  
Reaction Time Variability ◽  
The Right

Abstract Background. We investigated whether adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show pseudoneglect—preferential allocation of attention to the left visual field (LVF) and a resulting slowing of mean reaction times (MRTs) in the right visual field (RVF), characteristic of neurotypical (NT) individuals —and whether lateralization of attention is modulated by presentation speed and incentives. Method. Fast Task, a four-choice reaction-time task where stimuli were presented in LVF or RVF, was used to investigate differences in MRT and reaction time variability (RTV) in adults with ADHD (n = 43) and NT adults (n = 46) between a slow/no-incentive and fast/incentive condition. In the lateralization analyses, pseudoneglect was assessed based on MRT, which was calculated separately for the LVF and RVF for each condition and each study participant. Results. Adults with ADHD had overall slower MRT and increased RTV relative to NT. MRT and RTV improved under the fast/incentive condition. Both groups showed RVF-slowing with no between-group or between-conditions differences in RVF-slowing. Conclusion. Adults with ADHD exhibited pseudoneglect, a NT pattern of lateralization of attention, which was not attenuated by presentation speed and incentives.

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