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Os efeitos do café na performance cognitiva ao nível da atenção em estudantes universitários : fNIRS
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Abstract(s)
O café é uma das bebidas mais consumidas no mundo. O interesse por estudar esta bebida no sentido de perceber melhor o seu impacto na saúde física e mental tem sido um desafio para os investigadores. O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar os efeitos do consumo de café nas três dimensões da atenção (alerta, orientação e controlo executivo) em estudantes universitários, com recurso ao Teste de Redes de Atenção (ANT) e ao Functional Near-Infrared Sprectroscopy (fNIRS). Realizou-se um estudo duplo-cego, em que os participantes realizaram tarefas atencionais antes e após a ingestão de café/placebo, enquanto a atividade cerebral no córtex pré-frontal era monitorizada pelo fNIRS. Este procedimento experimental permitiu comparar os dados comportamentais e neurofisiológicos entre os momentos pré e pós-consumo, bem como entre os grupos, para compreender o impacto do café no desempenho das três redes de atenção. De igual forma, também permitiu analisar as alterações da atividade cerebral nas regiões do córtex pré-frontal antes e após o consumo de café ou placebo, com recurso ao fNIRS. Os resultados indicaram que o consumo de café melhorou o desempenho na rede de controlo executivo, o que sugere um aprimoramento na regulação do comportamento e inibição de respostas automáticas. A análise das alterações da atividade cerebral realizadas pelo fNIRS revelou pequenas alterações hemodinâmicas, com o aumento da ativação do córtex pré-frontal ventrolateral esquerdo (L-VLPFC) e dorsolateral direito (R-DLPFC), mas não de forma significativa. A investigação destaca a relevância de que o café possa modular a ativação cortical, mas o seu impacto varia entre indivíduos e pode depender de fatores como tolerância e consumo habitual.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The interest in studying this beverage to better understand its impact on physical and mental health has posed a challenge for researchers. The present study aimed to examine the effects of coffee consumption on the three dimensions of attention (alerting, orienting, and executive control) in university students, using the Attention Network Test (ANT) and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). A double-blind experimental design was conducted, in which participants performed attentional tasks before and after consuming coffee or a placebo, while brain activity in the prefrontal cortex was monitored using fNIRS. This approach enabled the comparison of behavioural and neurophysiological data between pre- and post-consumption conditions, as well as across groups, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of coffee on attentional networks. Furthermore, it facilitated the analysis of changes in prefrontal cortical activity following coffee or placebo consumption. The findings indicated that coffee consumption significantly enhanced performance in the executive control network, suggesting an improvement in behavioural regulation and the inhibition of automatic responses. fNIRS analysis revealed small haemodynamic variations, with increased activation in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (L-VLPFC) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC), however, these changes did not reach statistical significance. This study highlights the potential for coffee to modulate cortical activation, though its effects appear to vary between individuals, likely depending on factors such as caffeine tolerance and habitual consumption patterns.
Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The interest in studying this beverage to better understand its impact on physical and mental health has posed a challenge for researchers. The present study aimed to examine the effects of coffee consumption on the three dimensions of attention (alerting, orienting, and executive control) in university students, using the Attention Network Test (ANT) and Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). A double-blind experimental design was conducted, in which participants performed attentional tasks before and after consuming coffee or a placebo, while brain activity in the prefrontal cortex was monitored using fNIRS. This approach enabled the comparison of behavioural and neurophysiological data between pre- and post-consumption conditions, as well as across groups, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of coffee on attentional networks. Furthermore, it facilitated the analysis of changes in prefrontal cortical activity following coffee or placebo consumption. The findings indicated that coffee consumption significantly enhanced performance in the executive control network, suggesting an improvement in behavioural regulation and the inhibition of automatic responses. fNIRS analysis revealed small haemodynamic variations, with increased activation in the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (L-VLPFC) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC), however, these changes did not reach statistical significance. This study highlights the potential for coffee to modulate cortical activation, though its effects appear to vary between individuals, likely depending on factors such as caffeine tolerance and habitual consumption patterns.
Description
Keywords
Café Atenção Córtex pré-frontal fNIRS ANT Coffee consumption Selective attention Sustained attention
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Without CC licence