Caffeine as a Tool to Explore Active Cognitive Processing Stages in Two-Choice Tasks

We used caffeine as a tool to explore the active cognitive-processing stages in a simple Go/NoGo task, in terms of the event-related potential (ERP) components elicited by the Go and NoGo stimuli. Two hundred and fifty milligrams of caffeine was administered to adult participants (N = 24) in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled repeated-measures crossover study. Two blocks of an equiprobable auditory Go/NoGo task were completed, each with a random mix of 75 tones at 1000 Hz and 75 at 1500 Hz, all 60 dB sound pressure level (SPL). Major ERP effects of caffeine were apparent in enhancements of the Go N1-1, P3b, and Slow Wave (SW), and the NoGo Processing Negativity, SW, and NoGo Late Positivity. Novel differential findings indicate the potential of our caffeine as a tool approach to elucidate the functional nature of ERP markers of active cognitive processing in a range of developmental and clinical populations.