Effects of Caffeine and Caffeine-Associated Stimuli on the Human Startle Eyeblink Reflex

An experiment was performed ( n = 19) that investigated the effect of caffeine and expectancy of caffeine on the eyeblink component of the startle reflex. Nineteen habitual caffeine users received caffeinated coffee, caffeinated juice, decaffeinated coffee, or decaffeinated juice in four sessions sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior biochemistry and behavior, 1998, Vol.59 (1), p.39-44
Main Authors: Andrews, Siobhan E, Blumenthal, Terry D, Flaten, Magne A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acoustic Stimulation
Adult
Biological and medical sciences
Blinking - drug effects
Caffeine
Caffeine - pharmacology
Conditional response
Cues
Expectancy
Female
Human
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Neuropharmacology
Pharmacology. Drug treatments
Placebo
Psychoanaleptics: cns stimulant, antidepressant agent, nootropic agent, mood stabilizer..., (alzheimer disease)
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
Reaction Time - drug effects
Reflex, Startle - drug effects
Startle
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Summary:An experiment was performed ( n = 19) that investigated the effect of caffeine and expectancy of caffeine on the eyeblink component of the startle reflex. Nineteen habitual caffeine users received caffeinated coffee, caffeinated juice, decaffeinated coffee, or decaffeinated juice in four sessions spaced 1 week apart. Twenty-five to 30 min after ingestion of the liquid, 30 acoustic startle stimuli were presented. The results showed that caffeine increased startle eyeblink amplitude. Startle reflex onset latency was significantly longer in the decaffeinated coffee condition than in the other three conditions. This may have been due to the activation of a compensatory slowing of the reflex by the anticipation of caffeine, a slowing that was then overridden by caffeine speeding the response.
ISSN:0091-3057
1873-5177
DOI:10.1016/S0091-3057(97)00331-6