The effect of caffeine on neuropsychological testing for mild traumatic brain injury in athletes: A test of activation theory

Sport-related concussions have received wide attention in the press in recent years, and research on the topic has demonstrated the potential seriousness of even mild concussions when sustained repeatedly. Most sport concussions are mild and do not require presentation to a medical professional, but do require careful management to prevent premature return to practice or play. Computer-based cognitive testing, involving a pre-season baseline, and repeated testing post-hit until scores return to the individual's own baseline level have become the gold standard in managing sport concussions. Caffeine is the world's most used psychoactive substance, known from the activation theory research to affect cognitive and motor performance in several of the domains affected by concussion. To date there has not been empirical activity to explore whether caffeine use could confound the current process of managing sport concussions. This study selected 25 males, aged 18-30, and had each of them take the ImPACT test 3 times: abstinent for 24 hours from caffeine, after ingesting 200mg of caffeine, and after ingesting 400mg of caffeine. Overall results were not statistically significant, but the challenges of conducting this type of research, individual levels of tolerance, and the possible role of past concussions are discussed.