Effect of Caffeine on Mental Performance - Research Paper Example

Effect of caffeine on mental performance and Electroencephalography (EEG) results Abstract Caffeine is one of the common ingredients in the daily foods and drinks of most of the people around the world. People has realised the positive effect of caffeine even from the ancient period. Recent researches have shown that Caffeine can stimulate the mental alertness and it can boost the blood circulation to the brain. Moreover caffeine boost the energy levels of sports persons and also it is argued that caffeine can stimulate the cognitive abilities and physical activities of a person. It can work as a tonic for old people to revitalize their energy levels whenever they feel physical and mental fatigue. Effect of caffeine on mental performance and Electroencephalography (EEG) results Introduction Caffeine. Wikimedia (Caffeine, 2009) Coffee is one of the favourite drinks of many people all over the world. It is used as an energy booster by many people. Most of the people take a coffee when they feel tired physically and mentally in between their daily works. In India like countries, people often take three to four coffees daily. Most of the Indians start their morning activities after a coffee. The coffee powder used for making coffee consists of caffeine which is the energy provider for the coffee users. “Military personnel face many situations in which extended alertness is required. These include sentry duty, deployment-related activities, emergency air transport, long-range flying missions, radar and sonar monitoring, submarine duty, and combat. As part of their duties in these situations, individuals are often required to perform complex cognitive tasks. The performance of these tasks may be compromised during periods of extended wakefulness.” (Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance: Formulations for Military Operations)Mental performance or activities and Electroencephalography (EEG) can be affected by caffeine both positively and negatively. Caffeine is an active ingredient in many of our common food and drinks. The following table indicates caffeine content in some of the common food items.  (Blood Y Guts, 2008) There are lot of myths related to the excessive use of caffeine. Some people believe that excessive use of caffeine is as dangerous as nicotine. On the other hand proponents of caffeine believe that caffeine has less or no side effects at all compared to nicotine. Most of the researches have shown the positive impacts of caffeine on mental performances and the productivity of a person. This paper analyses the above arguments and the caffeine’s impact on mental performances and Electroencephalography (EEG) based on the researches conducted on some men and women. Method Participants In one research the effect of 300 mg caffeine on around 48 men were studied. In another one the same 300 mg caffeine effect studied upon some women. In a third research 20 female non smoking subjects were tested with different dosages of caffeine. Material The material used for the study was different doses of caffeine contained foods. Procedure “After a mental maze learning task 48 men were given 300 mg caffeine in decaffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee, warm water or no fluid. The experiment continued with a letter cancellation task which was followed by a 2nd mental maze learning task. (Bättig, et al, n.d.) “A study done by the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research demonstrated that consumption of at least three cups of coffee per day (or approximately 300 mg caffeine*) is associated with a slower rate of decline in cognitive abilities in women. (Fact Sheet: Caffeine and Performance, 2008) In a research work conducted by Hasenfratz   & Bättig, in order to study the effect of caffeine on mental performances, using a caffeine-sensitive rapid information processing task (RIP), twenty female non-smoking regular coffee drinkers has been tested with different amount of caffeine. (0, 1.5, 3 and 6 mg/kg caffeine) in a balanced order and the measurements were extended to cardiovascular, EEG and mood parameters. (Hasenfratz   & Bättig, 1994,p.286) Results Bättig and his associates found that the men given caffeine differed from the other groups by increased regularity of letter cancellation performance, as indicated by decreases in intra-individual variance and had a slight but significant acrodermal vasoconstriction. There were no intergroup differences in mental maze learning, heart rate, respiration, muscle tension, and skin conductance. (Bättig, et al, n.d.) The study of French National Institute for Health and Medical Research has shown that caffeine intake could help keep mental and memory skills sharper for a longer period of time in older individuals. These beneficial effects also appear to increase with age. (Fact Sheet: Caffeine and Performance, 2008) Hasenfratz   & Bättig (1994) found that the dose-effect curves for the different parameters were rather heterogeneous. No apparent dose-effect relationships were seen for reaction time and motor activity. (Hasenfratz   & Bättig, 1994, p.286) Discussion The results obtained from the study of Bättig and his associates suggest that the drug at this dose (300 mg) improves behavioural routine and speed rather than cognitive functions and that the vegetative side-effects are minimal. (Bättig, et al, n.d.) From the above observation it is clear that a normal dosage of caffeine does not have much influence on the mental performances, but it can stimulate the speed and behavioural pattern of the subject. In other words, it is not possible to increase the alertness more than a limit by increasing the caffeine level. Each person has a level of mental activity or intelligence which occasionally goes out of order because of increased amount of work or fatigue. In such cases caffeine can bring them back on the right track. The results obtained form French National Institute for Health and Medical Research has proved that Caffeine have beneficial effects on mental and physical performance.  Increased cognitive function, improved memory and reasoning, and increased alertness are just a few of the benefits seen from caffeine intake in terms of mental performance.  Increased muscle endurance, greater anaerobic metabolism, and improved performance times are some of the effects of caffeine intake in terms of physical performance.  Along with this, and contrary to common misconception, studies show that caffeinated beverages can contribute to an individual's hydration status, which is important to physical performance.  Therefore, advising against the consumption of caffeinated beverages because of dehydration concerns is not supported by the scientific evidence.  Caffeine can provide many performance benefits to healthy individuals. (Fact Sheet: Caffeine and Performance, 2008) The above studies clearly showed that caffeine can increase the alertness and hence the productivity of a person. The above studies conducted among almost similar persons with similar intellectual level, physical strength and age and hence the possibility of error in judgement due to individual differences in performance level has been eliminated as much as possible. “Several recent prospective cohort studies have demonstrated that caffeine increases key aspects of cognitive function related to alertness. In one study, participants used the words “vigor”, “efficiency”, “energy”, and “clear-headedness” to describe their moods after consuming caffeine.” (Fact Sheet: Caffeine and Performance, 2008) It is difficult for a person to concentrate on one job for a long period without a break. Even though 8 hour duty is specified everywhere as a common trend, most of the companies allows a coffee break in between in order to make the employees revitalize for the work. It is difficult for a person to be alert for a long period even if how critical the situation is. He will feel uneasiness and tiredness after some time. In some cases, people will often be confused with their jobs because of mental fatigue. Caffeine contained drinks like coffee can provide clear-headedness, energy and vigour to the tired person. “Research has also shown that caffeine consumption has the ability to improve memory and reasoning in sleep-deprived individuals.  Alertness and performance also improved. The consumption of caffeine may benefit consumers through improvements in their performance at school and work.” (Fact Sheet: Caffeine and Performance, 2008)   Most of the youths and the children may be very much active in their engagements because of their youth-hood enthusiasm and energy. They may not require much energy boosters because of their physiological specialities. But for older people the case may be different. Their health may be already on decline and hence they cannot concentrate more on their works because of their body and mental fatigue. Caffeine can act as a tonic for them to bring back their alertness and attention in their work. Effect of caffeine on electroencephalogram (EEG) “The electroencephalogram (EEG) is a measure of brain waves. It is a readily available test that provides evidence of how the brain functions over time. It is used to evaluate people who are having problems associated with brain function. These problems might include confusion, coma, tumours, long-term difficulties with thinking or memory, or weakening of specific parts of the body (such as weakness associated with a stroke)”. (Electroencephalography (EEG) Introduction, 2009) Electroencephalography (EEG) is the study of electrical activity inside our scalp produced by the firing of neurons within the brain. Neurons are responsible for the processing and transmission of information received in brain through different senses. Neurons can be of different types like sensory and motor neurons which control the sensing and motor activities of a person respectively. Neurons are eclectically active and hence they will travel just like an oscillated electrical wave with different frequencies. Caffeine can control these oscillations of neurons and thus effectively control the mental activities. Brain waves can be classified into three categories mainly based on their functions; alpha, beta and theta waves. Alpha Brainwaves add images and visuals; you could view this as escape from reality. Too much alpha activity leads to excessive escapes and too many daydreams. Too little makes us human machines:– in motion, but without dreams that direct. “Just right,” adds perfect porridge bowls balanced for healthier lives. The mental activity normally associated with Beta waves is the active awareness state that we experience from day to day at work and play. "Theta Brainwaves engage inner and intuitive subconscious. You’ll find theta in places where you hold memories, sensations and emotions. Sometimes, we also store secrets there, which we block out in times of pain, to survive what we feel unprepared to fix. (Brainwaves, 2000) “Stopping daily caffeine consumption produces changes in cerebral blood flow velocity and quantitative EEG that are likely related to the classic caffeine withdrawal symptoms of headache, drowsiness and decreased alertness.” (Your brain on -- and off – caffeine, 2009) As discussed above caffeine can control the brain activities by controlling the oscillations of brain neurons which is responsible for the reception, analysis and transmission of sensory information. The removal of caffeine from our daily food and drinks can adversely affect the neuron activities inside the brain because of the changes in frequencies of the neurons in the absence of caffeine. Nicotine is another thing which can affect the brain activities. The smoke of cigarettes contains nicotine which can also affect the brain waves. Increased EEG power is always create problems like headache, neurogenic pain etc. “Nicotine increases EEG power in some higher frequency bands in some conditions, while caffeine decreases EEG power across almost all conditions (Gilbert et al, 2000) So we can conclude that while nicotine creates problems by increasing the EEG power, caffeine reduces EEG power. In other words smoking may create problems to a person while drinking coffee is a good habit to keep a person alert always. Stacey Sigmon, Ph.D., research associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Vermont College of Medicine and colleagues at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine sought to investigate the biological mechanisms of caffeine withdrawal in a paper published recently in the online edition of the scientific journal Psychopharmacology. The team demonstrated that stopping daily caffeine consumption produces changes in cerebral blood flow velocity and quantitative EEG that are likely related to the classic caffeine withdrawal symptoms of headache, drowsiness and decreased alertness. More specifically, acute caffeine abstinence increased brain blood flow, an effect that may account for commonly reported withdrawal headaches. (Caffeine Withdrawal — It's Not Just In Your Head, 2009) The figure given below explains the sleepiness rating and theta activities at different placebo and caffeine conditions. As discussed above theta activities is mainly associated with sub conscious mind. It often controls the memory, emotions and secrets stored in the sub conscious mind. A placebo is a medical intervention in which the doctor creates a belief in patient’s mind that the intervention may act as a medicine for his disease. In reality it may not be correct. The doctor tries to create a false belief in the mind of the patient. Most of the diseases have some psychological association. In fact some diseases or bad habits have no root cause at all. It may be the creation of an agitated mind. For example, some people may often feel tired after doing a little bit of work. In fact his mental activities make him tired rather than the physical activities. In such cases the doctor can prescribe a something like a sugar pill and can convince the patient that it is the best medicine for his disease. Such interventions may cause the patient to believe that the treatment will change his condition; and hence he may recover from the imaginary disease. This phenomenon is often referred as placebo effect. The figure given below explains theta activity, placebo effect in association with caffeine consumption. Time course of (a) saliva caffeine concentration, (b) subjective sleepiness (Stanford Sleepiness Scale), and (c) EEG theta activity (C3A2 derivation, power within 5–8 Hz) across 40 h waking. Sleepiness ratings and theta activity are plotted for consecutive 3-h intervals of the placebo (open circles) and caffeine conditions (filled circles), respectively. Theta activity is expressed as a percentage of mean theta activity in the first four waking EEG recordings (at 0, 3, 6, and 9 h waking). Error bars represent SEM (n=12). Caffeine (200 mg) was administered at 11 and 23 h waking (vertical dashed lines). The asterisks indicate the time intervals with significant treatment effects (p Read More