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The impact of caffeine and taurine on the the P3 and N1 components of the event-related potential
Although marketed as the core ingredient in energy drinks, taurine's proposed status as a stimulant has only been tested in conjunction with caffeine, another energy drink constituent well-documented as facilitating attention and performance. The current study investigated the independent effect of taurine, and its interactive effect with caffeine, on information processing and resource allocation using the event-related potential (ERP) components P3 and N2. Participants (N=19) discriminated imminent driving accident scenes from standard traffic conditions under four different arousal conditions (placebo-placebo, caffeine-placebo, taurine-placebo, and caffeine-taurine). Caffeine and taurine dosages were equivalent to quantities within a standard 250 ml energy drink. The presence of taurine and/or caffeine did not significantly alter reaction time, N2 amplitude and latency, or P3 latency compared to placebo. Availability of attentional resources was enhanced after drug ingestion, as evidenced by significantly higher P3 amplitude at parietal midline and right hemisphere sites, compared to placebo. However, this effect was found solely in the presence of caffeine as opposed to the independent or interactive effect of taurine. The absence of a synergistic relationship between caffeine and taurine, or facilitative effect of taurine, suggests that the basic premises underlying energy drink consumption are questionable.
History
Publication title
Clinical EEG and NeuroscienceEditors
DF SalisburyISSN
1550-0594Department/School
School of Psychological SciencesPublisher
Sage Publications, Inc.Place of publication
United StatesEvent title
1st Annual Joint Meeting of the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS), the International Society for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry (ISNP) and the International Society for Brain Electromagnetic Topography (ISBET)Event Venue
Istanbul, TurkeyDate of Event (Start Date)
2010-09-14Date of Event (End Date)
2010-09-19Repository Status
- Restricted