Acute effects of coffee on neurocognitive function: an electroencephalography network analysis

Abstract The purpose of this study was to identify the mechanisms underlying effects of coffee on cognition in the context of brain networks. Here we investigated functional connectivity before and after drinking coffee using graph theoretical analysis of electroencephalography (EEG). Twenty-one healthy adults voluntarily participated in this study. The neuropsychological tests were consecutively performed at the start of the EEG recording and 30 min after coffee consumption. Graph analyses were performed and compared before and after coffee consumption. Correlation analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between changes in graph measures and those in cognitive function tests. FC was reorganized toward more efficient network properties after coffee consumption. Performance in Digit Span tests and Trail Making Test Part B improved after coffee consumption, and the improved performance in executive function was correlated with changes in graph measures, reflecting a shift toward efficient network properties. The beneficial effects of coffee on cognitive function might be attributed to the reorganization of FC toward more efficient network properties. Based on our findings, the patterns of network reorganization could be used as quantitative markers to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of coffee on cognition, especially executive function.