Anecdotal and laboratory research suggests that caffeine can increase general focus, attention and concentration in some children. Recent research on both human and nonhuman subjects show increased performance in both memory and cognitive performance tasks, however, the variability in dosage, risk of addiction or overdose and potential damage to a child's developing nervous system leads most experts to discourage parents from administering caffeine to children.
Caffeine is a Psychostimulant
According to psychologist Dr. Saundra Ciccarelli, caffeine is a stimulant found in coffee, tea, most sodas and chocolate. It naturally occurs in coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa nuts and at least 60 other plants. Caffeine is an addictive psychoactive drug that, when taken in excess, can lead to caffeine-induced psychosis and symptoms of withdrawal including headache and nausea. According to Dr. Eric Chudler, caffeine enters the blood stream within 15 minutes of ingestion and remains in a child's system for at least six hours.
Physiological Effects of Caffeine
Caffeine affects the brain chemical adenosine and increases activity in the frontal lobes and brain stem. Physiological and behavioral correlations include increased heart rate and constriction of blood vessels as well as increased alertness and concentration. In overdose, caffeine can induce symptoms of anxiety, distractibility and psychosis including hallucinations. Physiological signs of caffeine overdose include trembling, shortness of breath, sweating and panic attack. Increased activity and caffeine together can lead to abnormalities in the flow of blood to the heart which increase the risk of heart attack.
Caffeine and Focus
Caffeine is known to increase attention, focus and memory performance in both humans and laboratory animals. However, a child's reaction to the stimulant is individually unique, and some children experience a paradoxical effect from caffeine, including drowsiness and distractibility. According to researchers at the Mayo Clinic the dosage, efficacy and duration of the effect of caffeine are too variable to be recommended for general use in the treatment of attention disorders in children.
Caffeine Placebo and Focus
Further research published in Human Psychopharmacology suggests that increased test scores and memory performance might be attributed to the effect of individuals simply believing that caffeine will improve cognitive performance. According to Dr. Nick Humphrey the placebo effect is evident in over 60 percent of subjects in studies ranging from pain killers to antidepressants. However, according to researchers at American University, subjects who were administered caffeine and tested on cognitive tasks narrowly outperformed those given a placebo.
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق