Caffeine and cognitive performance: Persistent methodological challenges in caffeine research

IF 3.3 3区心理学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior Pub Date : 2014-09-01 DOI:10.1016/j.pbb.2014.05.019

Jack E. James

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引用次数: 32

Abstract

Human cognitive performance is widely perceived to be enhanced by caffeine at usual dietary doses. However, the evidence for and against this belief continues to be vigorously contested. Controversy has centred on caffeine withdrawal and withdrawal reversal as potential sources of experimental confounding. In response, some researchers have enlisted “caffeine-naïve” experimental participants (persons alleged to consume little or no caffeine) assuming that they are not subject to withdrawal. This mini-review examines relevant research to illustrate general methodological challenges that have been the cause of enduring confusion in caffeine research. At issue are the processes of caffeine withdrawal and withdrawal reversal, the definition of caffeine-naïve, the population representativeness of participants deemed to be caffeine-naïve, and confounding due to caffeine tolerance. Attention to these processes is necessary if premature conclusions are to be avoided, and if caffeine's complex effects and the mechanisms responsible for those effects are to be illuminated. Strategies are described for future caffeine research aimed at minimising confounding from withdrawal and withdrawal reversal.

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咖啡因和认知表现:咖啡因研究中持续的方法论挑战

人们普遍认为，日常膳食剂量的咖啡因可以提高人类的认知能力。然而，支持和反对这一信念的证据继续受到激烈的争论。争论集中在咖啡因戒断和戒断逆转作为实验混淆的潜在来源。作为回应，一些研究人员招募了“caffeine-naïve”实验参与者(据称很少或不摄入咖啡因的人)，假设他们不受戒断的影响。这篇小型综述考察了相关研究，以说明导致咖啡因研究持续混乱的一般方法挑战。问题是咖啡因戒断和戒断逆转的过程，caffeine-naïve的定义，参与者的人口代表性被认为是caffeine-naïve，以及咖啡因耐受性引起的混淆。如果要避免过早的结论，如果要阐明咖啡因的复杂影响和导致这些影响的机制，就有必要关注这些过程。描述了未来咖啡因研究的策略，旨在最大限度地减少戒断和戒断逆转的混淆。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

2.80%

发文量

122

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior publishes original reports in the areas of pharmacology and biochemistry in which the primary emphasis and theoretical context are behavioral. Contributions may involve clinical, preclinical, or basic research. Purely biochemical or toxicology studies will not be published. Papers describing the behavioral effects of novel drugs in models of psychiatric, neurological and cognitive disorders, and central pain must include a positive control unless the paper is on a disease where such a drug is not available yet. Papers focusing on physiological processes (e.g., peripheral pain mechanisms, body temperature regulation, seizure activity) are not accepted as we would like to retain the focus of Pharmacology Biochemistry & Behavior on behavior and its interaction with the biochemistry and neurochemistry of the central nervous system. Papers describing the effects of plant materials are generally not considered, unless the active ingredients are studied, the extraction method is well described, the doses tested are known, and clear and definite experimental evidence on the mechanism of action of the active ingredients is provided.