can caffeine and theanine improve attention?

Introduction

Caffeine and L-theanine, both naturally occurring in tea, are known for their potential cognitive benefits. This synthesis examines whether these compounds, individually or in combination, can improve attention.

Key Insights

Improvement in Sustained Attention and Cognitive Performance:
- L-theanine and caffeine, both alone and in combination, improve sustained attention and overall cognitive performance in children with ADHD and healthy adults .
Reduction in Mind Wandering:
- The combination of L-theanine and caffeine decreases mind wandering, which enhances attention to target stimuli .
Inhibitory Control and Impulsivity:
- L-theanine and caffeine alone may worsen inhibitory control (increase impulsivity), but their combination tends to improve it .
Task-Specific Attention:
- The combination of L-theanine and caffeine improves target-specific attention and reduces susceptibility to distractions .
Neurophysiological Effects:
- Both compounds, especially in combination, show significant effects on brain activity related to attention, such as reduced alpha-band oscillatory activity and increased event-related potentials .
Vigilance and Error Rates:
- Caffeine and L-theanine reduce error rates in sustained attention tasks, although the combination does not provide additional benefits over individual compounds at certain dosages.

Conclusion

Caffeine and L-theanine, both individually and in combination, can improve attention by enhancing sustained attention, reducing mind wandering, and improving cognitive performance. The combination of these compounds appears to be particularly effective, offering potential therapeutic benefits for attention-related issues.

Try another search

social media definition

What are the properties and characteristics of exoplanet atmospheres?

What are the research objectives of "Machine-learning-based Optimization Method for Large-Phase-Shif

What are the symptoms of encephalitis?

What are the signs of zinc deficiency?

does customer satisfaction impact customer loyalty?

Can caffeine and theanine improve attention?

Summary

Consensus Meter

Introduction

Key Insights

Conclusion

Sources and full results

L-theanine and Caffeine Improve Sustained Attention, Impulsivity and Cognition in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders by Decreasing Mind Wandering (OR29-04-19).

L-theanine and caffeine improve sustained attention and overall cognitive performance in children with ADHD, potentially by decreasing mind wandering during attention effort.

Effects of l-theanine–caffeine combination on sustained attention and inhibitory control among children with ADHD: a proof-of-concept neuroimaging RCT

L-theanine and caffeine combination may improve sustained attention, inhibitory control, and overall cognitive performance in boys with ADHD.

Assessing the effects of caffeine and theanine on the maintenance of vigilance during a sustained attention task

Caffeine and theanine ingestion significantly reduce error rates during sustained attention tasks, but their combined treatment does not provide additional benefits over either compound alone.

l-Theanine and caffeine improve target-specific attention to visual stimuli by decreasing mind wandering: a human functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

L-theanine and caffeine supplements improve attention to visual stimuli by increasing neural resource allocation to target stimuli and decreasing deviation of attention to distractors.

L-theanine and caffeine in combination affect human cognition as evidenced by oscillatory alpha-band activity and attention task performance.

L-theanine and caffeine combined improve attention task performance and overall cognitive performance, while caffeine alone shows no effects.

l-Theanine and caffeine improve task switching but not intersensory attention or subjective alertness

L-theanine and caffeine combined significantly improve task switching attention, but not subjective alertness or intersensory attention.

Acute effects of theanine, caffeine and theanine–caffeine combination on attention

Theanine and caffeine have additive effects on attention in high doses, with theanine improving cognitive functions and caffeine enhancing neurophysiological responses.

Acute effects of tea constituents L-theanine, caffeine, and epigallocatechin gallate on cognitive function and mood: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Combined caffeine and L-theanine in tea improve alertness, attentional switching accuracy, and some cognitive outcomes, with greater effects observed for caffeine doses.

Caffeine and theanine exert opposite effects on attention under emotional arousal.

Under emotional arousal, caffeine and theanine have opposite effects on attention, but when consumed together, they counteract each other's effects.

The combined effects of L-theanine and caffeine on cognitive performance and mood

L-theanine and caffeine combined improve cognitive performance and mood in healthy volunteers.

Try another search