Attentional and working memory performance following alcohol and energy drink: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial design laboratory study

Benson, Sarah; Tiplady, Brian; Scholey, Andrew · 2019 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0209239

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Summary

This study investigated whether consuming an energy drink (ED) alongside alcohol mitigates the cognitive impairments caused by alcohol intoxication, specifically regarding attention and working memory. While it is commonly believed that the caffeine in energy drinks counteracts alcohol’s depressant effects, previous research has yielded inconsistent results, often lacking control arms for energy drinks alone or using inadequate placebos. This research aimed to clarify these interactions by examining the effects of alcohol, energy drinks, and their combination over a three-hour period, hypothesizing that any antagonism would be more evident during the falling limb of the blood alcohol concentration curve and on tasks sensitive to caffeine. The researchers conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial crossover study with 24 young adult participants. Each participant underwent four testing sessions separated by at least 48 hours, receiving one of four treatments: alcohol (0.6 g/kg vodka), energy drink (250 ml Red Bull containing 80 mg caffeine), both combined (AMED), or matching placebos. Cognitive performance was assessed at baseline and at 45, 90, and 180 minutes post-consumption using a computerized battery of tasks measuring attention (Four-Choice Reaction Time, Number Pairs, Visual Search) and working memory (Memory Scanning, Serial Sevens, Digit-Symbol Matching, Visuospatial Working Memory). Statistical analyses employed repeated measures ANOVA to evaluate treatment effects and interactions over time. The results demonstrated that alcohol consumption significantly increased error rates across all attentional measures and the Serial Sevens working memory task, without significantly affecting reaction times, indicating a shift in the speed-accuracy trade-off. Conversely, energy drink consumption alone improved accuracy and reaction times on specific working memory tasks, including Memory Scanning and Digit-Symbol Matching. Crucially, the combination of alcohol and energy drink (AMED) did not consistently antagonize the impairing effects of alcohol. In some instances, AMED resulted in more errors than alcohol alone (e.g., Visual Search errors at 45 minutes), while in others, it showed slight improvements (e.g., fewer errors on Serial Sevens at 90 minutes). There was no evidence that the energy drink reversed alcohol-induced cognitive deficits in a systematic manner. The study concludes that mixing alcohol with energy drinks does not reliably counteract alcohol-associated cognitive impairment. The lack of consistent antagonism suggests a complex interaction influenced by caffeine and alcohol levels, the phase of blood alcohol concentration, and specific cognitive demands. These findings challenge the perception that energy drinks can safely mitigate the functional risks of alcohol intoxication, highlighting that alcohol continues to impair attention and working memory even when co-consumed with caffeinated beverages.

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