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Relationship between Habitual Caffeine Consumption, Attentional Performance, and Individual Alpha Frequency during
Michael Quiquempoix1,2, Catherine Drogou1,2, Mégane Erblang1,2,3
1Institut de Recherche Biomédicale des Armées (IRBA), 91223 Brétigny sur Orge, France.
Summary
Acute caffeine intake improves attention during sleep deprivation. However, high habitual caffeine use impairs cognitive performance and reduces tolerance to sleep loss, impacting brain activity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Caffeine is a known psychostimulant that can counteract sleep debt effects.
- Understanding caffeine's impact on cognitive function and brain activity during sleep deprivation is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess acute caffeine intake's effects on cognitive vulnerability and brain activity during total sleep deprivation (TSD).
- To investigate the influence of habitual caffeine consumption levels on these effects.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind, crossover study involving 37 subjects undergoing TSD with caffeine or placebo.
- Vigilant attention was measured using the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) with EEG recordings every six hours.
- Subjects were categorized by habitual caffeine consumption (low, moderate, high).
Main Results:
- Caffeine intake lowered reaction times (RT) during TSD compared to placebo.
- Low habitual caffeine consumers showed shorter RTs than moderate and high consumers.
- Acute caffeine attenuated TSD-related EEG power increases; high consumers had lower individual alpha frequency (IAF) and shorter RTs, correlating with increased sleepiness.
Conclusions:
- Acute caffeine intake can improve attention and attenuate brain activity changes during TSD.
- High habitual caffeine consumption negatively impacts attentional performance and brain activity, reducing sleep deprivation tolerance.
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