Caffeine increases false memory in nonhabitual consumers

Functional and cognitive responses to caffeine intake in middle-aged women are dose depending

Middle-aged women display many physiological and cognitive alterations resulting from aging and physical inactivity as well as other changes that occur as a function of menopause. Caffeine consumption is highest in this age with women having a particular greater sensitivity to caffeine than men. Its effects on functional and cognitive functions are controversial and seem to depend on the dose intake. This study aimed to assess the effect of low (100mg) and high (400mg) doses of caffeine consumption on cognitive (simple reaction time) and functional (upper and low body muscle endurance, aerobic endurance and functional mobility) performances. These performances were evaluated in 19 healthy middle-aged women by the 30-Second Chair Stand test for lower body muscle endurance, the 30sec Arm Curl Test for upper body muscle endurance, the 2-Minute Step test for aerobic endurance, The Timed Up and Go test for functional mobility and the simple reaction time test for reaction time, 60min after a treatment capsule intake (100mg caffeine/400mg caffeine/placebo). Low caffeine consumption significantly improved (p<.005) cognitive performance, while high caffeine consumption did not. However, the functional performance significantly improved (p<.05) after high caffeine consumption but not after low caffeine consumption. Except, the functional mobility performance significantly improved (p<.05) after both low and high caffeine consumption with better improvement (p<.05) after the high dose. In conclusion, low caffeine consumption improved cognitive performance and high caffeine consumption improved functional performance but the functional mobility improved after both low and high caffeine consumption in middleaged women.

The Effects of Acute Moderate and High Intensity Exercise on Memory

Acute cardiovascular exercise can enhance correct remembering but its impact upon false remembering is less clear. In two experiments, we investigated the effect of acute bouts of exercise on correct and false remembering using the Deese–Roediger–McDermott (DRM) memory test. In Experiment 1, healthy adults completed quiet rest or moderate intensity cycling prior to the memory test. In Experiment 2, a similar sample completed moderate intensity running, high intensity sprints, or a period of quiet rest prior to the memory test. In Experiment 1, acute moderate intensity exercise increased short-term correct, but not false, recall. Experiment 2 replicated these findings but also found an acute bout of high intensity exercise had no impact upon either type of short-term recall. Acute moderate intensity exercise, but not acute high intensity exercise, can improve short-term correct recall without an accompanying increase in false recall potentially through processing of contextually specific information during encoding.

The effects of caffeine on option generation and subsequent choice

RATIONALE

Although the effects of caffeine on basic cognitive functions are well-known, its effects on more complex decision making, particularly on option generation, is yet to be explored.

OBJECTIVE

We examined the effects of caffeine on option generation in decision making using everyday life decisional situations.

METHODS

In a double-blind placebo-controlled experiment, participants (N = 47) either received 300 mg of caffeine or a placebo. Participants had to generate choice options (things they could do) for a series of high and low familiar real-world scenarios and, subsequently, to decide among these options.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed that participants in the caffeine condition generated significantly fewer options than participants in the placebo condition. Moreover, caffeine significantly reduced the option generation onset time, that is, participants in the caffeine condition generated their first option significantly faster than participants in the placebo condition. Regarding subsequent choice, we found evidence supporting the "take-the-first" heuristic, that is, the tendency to select the first generated option. This tendency was neither affected by caffeine nor by the familiarity of the scenarios.

CONCLUSIONS

Caffeine results in fewer options generated in unconstrained real-life decision-making situations and decreases generation onset times.