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 consumption
- Selective attention
- Sustained attention
- fNIRS
- ANT
Os efeitos do café na performance cognitiva ao nível da atenção em estudantes universitários: fNIRS
Pereira, V. C. D. A. (Student). 7 Mar 2025
Student thesis: Master's Thesis
