Paracetamol sharpens reflection and spatial memory: a double-blind randomized controlled study in healthy volunteers.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pharmacology
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• The analgesic and antipyretic mechanisms of Acetaminophen (APAP) are well-understood.
• However, APAP's impact on human cognitive function remains largely unexplored.
• Previous animal studies suggested cognitive enhancement, but its connection to APAP's primary actions was unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of APAP on cognitive performance in healthy volunteers.
• To explore the relationship between APAP's cognitive effects, antinociception, and temperature regulation.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, randomized controlled study involving 40 healthy volunteers.
• Participants underwent nociceptive threshold, core temperature, and cognitive tests (information sampling, spatial memory, reaction time, etc.) before and after receiving APAP (2g) or placebo.
• Data analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA suitable for crossover design.

Main Results:

• APAP significantly improved performance on the information sampling task, reducing errors and increasing task efficiency (P<0.05).
• APAP also decreased initial thinking time for spatial planning and working memory tasks (P=0.04).
• APAP demonstrated antinociceptive effects (P<0.01) without altering core body temperature.

Conclusions:

• Acetaminophen (APAP) enhances decision-making and planning strategies in healthy individuals.
• Cognitive performance improvements and antinociception are independent of APAP's thermoregulatory effects.
• Cognitive effects may align with the analgesic pathway, potentially involving central serotonergic and cannabinoid systems.