Kava drinking in traditional settings: Towards understanding effects on cognitive function

Kava drinking is a tradition among Pacific Island people, although growing in popularity with other ethnicities. However, drinking substantial quantities of kava has raised concerns regarding physical manifestations of slow response and lack of precision in bodily control. These impairments can have significant consequences when after consuming large volumes of kava an individual makes a choice to drive.

The objective of this study was to measure selected cognitive functions following high traditionally consumed kava volumes (greater than 2,000 mg of kavalactones) aimed at identifying potential risks for kava drink-drivers.

The reaction and divided attention of 20 control participants was assessed against 20 active kava-drinking participants during and following a 6-hr kava session in a "naturalised" setting. Assessment measures were drawn from Vienna Test System-Traffic's test battery.

Results showed no statistical significant difference between control and active participants at any measurement point over a 6-hr testing period regardless that the movements and speech of the active participants were observed to slow as the test session and kava consumption progressed.

Inconsistencies between test results and observations during testing and by road policing officers demonstrate an urgent need for more research in this field.