Separate and joint effects of alcohol and caffeine on conflict monitoring and adaptation

Kira Bailey; Michael T Amlung; David H Morris; Mason H Price; Curtis Von Gunten; Denis M McCarthy; Bruce D Bartholow

doi:10.1007/s00213-016-4208-y

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Separate and joint effects of alcohol and caffeine on conflict monitoring and adaptation

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Separate and joint effects of alcohol and caffeine on conflict monitoring and adaptation

Kira Bailey, Michael T Amlung, David H Morris, Mason H Price, Curtis Von Gunten, Denis M McCarthy and Bruce D Bartholow

Psychopharmacology (Berlin, Germany), Vol.233(7), pp.1245-1255

04/01/2016

DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4208-y

PMCID: PMC4803583

PMID: 26815360

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Abstract

Caffeine is commonly believed to offset the acute effects of alcohol, but some evidence suggests that cognitive processes remain impaired when caffeine and alcohol are coadministered. No previous study has investigated the separate and joint effects of alcohol and caffeine on conflict monitoring and adaptation, processes thought to be critical for self-regulation. This was the purpose of the current study. Healthy, young adult social drinkers recruited from the community completed a flanker task after consuming one of four beverages in a 2 × 2 experimental design: Alcohol + caffeine, alcohol + placebo caffeine, placebo alcohol + caffeine, or placebo alcohol + placebo caffeine. Accuracy, response time, and the amplitude of the N2 component of the event-related potential (ERP), a neural index of conflict monitoring, were examined as a function of whether or not conflict was present (i.e., whether or not flankers were compatible with the target) on both the previous trial and the current trial. Alcohol did not abolish conflict monitoring or adaptation. Caffeine eliminated conflict adaptation in sequential trials but also enhanced neural conflict monitoring. The combined effect of alcohol and caffeine was apparent only in how previous conflict affected the neural conflict monitoring response. Together, the findings suggest that caffeine leads to exaggeration of attentional resource utilization, which could provide short-term benefits but lead to problems conserving resources for when they are most needed.

Adaptation, Psychological

Adult

Alcohol Drinking - psychology

Attention - drug effects

Attention - physiology

Caffeine - pharmacology

Conflict (Psychology)

Electroencephalography

Ethanol - pharmacology

Evoked Potentials - drug effects

Evoked Potentials - physiology

Female

Humans

Male

Reaction Time - drug effects

Reaction Time - physiology

Social Adjustment

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Separate and joint effects of alcohol and caffeine on conflict monitoring and adaptation
Creators: Kira Bailey - University of Missouri
Michael T Amlung - University of Missouri
David H Morris - University of Missouri
Mason H Price - University of Missouri
Curtis Von Gunten - University of Missouri
Denis M McCarthy - University of Missouri
Bruce D Bartholow - University of Missouri
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Psychopharmacology (Berlin, Germany), Vol.233(7), pp.1245-1255
DOI: 10.1007/s00213-016-4208-y
PMID: 26815360
PMCID: PMC4803583
NLM abbreviation: Psychopharmacology (Berl)
ISSN: 0033-3158
eISSN: 1432-2072
Grant note: R01 AA020970 / NIAAA NIH HHS T32 AA013526 / NIAAA NIH HHS T32AA013526 / NIAAA NIH HHS P60 AA011998 / NIAAA NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 04/01/2016
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
Record Identifier: 9984446416702771

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