CAFFEINE EFFECTS ON LEARNING, PERFORMANCE, AND ANXIETY IN NORMAL SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN

Objective: The purpose of this investigation was to study the acute ef fects of caffeine on learning, performance, and anxiety in normal prep ubertal children. Method: Twenty-one children were evaluated in a doub le-blind, placebo-controlled crossover design. Subjects were studied d uring four sessions, 1 week apart, under the following conditions: bas eline, placebo, 2.5 mg/kg caffeine, and 5.0 mg/kg caffeine. Subjects w ere randomized to order of placebo and the two dosages of caffeine. De pendent measures included tests of attention, manual dexterity, short- term memory, and processing speed. Anxiety rating scales were also adm inistered. Saliva samples were analyzed for caffeine levels. Results: Caffeine improved performance on two of four measures of the Test of V ariables of Attention and on a test of manual dexterity in the dominan t hand. There was a trend toward increased current level of self-repor ted anxiety after caffeine on a visual analogue measure of anxiety. Ch ildren reported feeling significantly less ''sluggish'' after caffeine ingestion than after placebo ingestion. Conclusions: In a small sampl e size, there was indication that caffeine enhanced performance on a t est of attention and on a motor task. Children also reported feeling l ess ''sluggish'' but somewhat more anxious. Because caffeine is so wid ely available and frequently consumed by children, these results are i mportant and need replication.