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Caffeine and smoking: subjective, performance, and psychophysiological effects
W S Pritchard1, J H Robinson, J D deBethizy
1Psychophysiology Laboratory, Bowman Gray Technical Center, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Winston-Salem, NC 27102.
Psychophysiology
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Caffeine increased tension, while smoking improved math task performance and increased heart rate and brain activity. The combination of caffeine and smoking showed no interaction, suggesting non-pharmacological reasons for their common co-occurrence.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychopharmacology
Background:
- Caffeine and nicotine are widely consumed psychoactive substances.
- Their combined effects on cognitive function and physiological measures are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the independent and combined effects of caffeine and smoking on cognitive performance, subjective states, heart rate, and electroencephalography (EEG).
Main Methods:
- A within-subjects design was used, with participants undergoing two sessions.
- In one session, participants received caffeine (2.5 mg/kg) and smoked a cigarette; in the other, they received a placebo and smoked.
- Cognitive performance, subjective variables, heart rate, and EEG were measured.
Main Results:
- Caffeine increased self-reported muscular tension, anxiety, and delta magnitude.
- Smoking enhanced performance on a math task, increased heart rate, and induced cortical activation (e.g., decreased delta and theta, increased alpha).
- No significant interaction effects were observed between caffeine and smoking for any measured variable.
Conclusions:
- Caffeine and nicotine exert distinct effects on physiological and cognitive measures.
- The lack of interaction suggests that the common epidemiological association between smoking and coffee consumption may stem from non-pharmacological factors.