Assessing the effect of caffeine on attention in Dementia. Version 2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessing the effect of caffeine on attention in patients with and without Dementia
IRAS ID
155979
Contact name
Kanchan Sharma
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust
ISRCTN Number
ISRCTN78129879
Research summary
Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) is characterised by physical symptoms similar to those found in Parkinson's disease, visual hallucinations and fluctuations in attention which often manifest as daytime sleepiness. In addition patients often complain of poor sleep at night. Caffeine is a routinely used stimulant that can improve attention in the day and interfere with sleep at night. The relationship between caffeine intake and symptoms of DLB is poorly understood. We plan to study the effect of caffeine on attention and mobility in patients with DLB and related conditions. We will investigate the effect of dietary caffeine intake on attention by randomly assigning participants to either regular caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee and then assessing their performance on computerised tasks of attention. Both the participants and researcher will be blinded to whether the coffee is caffeinated or not. In addition, we will screen patients coming to clinic to assess whether their caffeine intake correlates to number of hallucinations, sleep quality and daytime somnolence. The results of this work may lead to improved lifestyle advice for patients and perhaps even a clinical trial of caffeine to modify attention in DLB.
REC name
South West - Cornwall & Plymouth Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/SW/1018
Date of REC Opinion
1 Oct 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion