Effects of a Cocoa Shot on the Human Brain
Completed · Not applicable
Conditions studied: Caffeine, Flavonoids
In brief
The Hershey Company is interested in investigating the effects of various chocolate beverages on brain physiology and cognitive function. The main substances in the drinks that are known to influence the brain are caffeine (and related chemicals such as theobromine) and flavonoids. Flavonoids are chemical found in plants and are most commonly associated with antioxidant activity. Caffeine, chemicals related to caffeine, and flavonoids are all naturally occurring and all potentially alter brain physiology. This study will evaluate changes in brain blood flow and cognition following the consumption of drinks with various combinations of the Primary Ingredients. Caffeine is likely to have peak effects within 1-hour of ingesting the chocolate while the flavonoids are likely to have peak effects 3-4 hours after ingestion. The study proposed here will evaluate ingredients in a 4-arm cross-over double-blind design in an attempt to understand the differential effects of these compounds in chocolate drinks.
Key facts
- Study ID
- NCT01924481
- Run by
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- People needed
- 6
- Starts
- 2013-09-01
- Expected to finish
- 2013-10-01
- Last updated by the study team
- 2018-07-18
Who can join
Age: 18 and older, up to 38. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.
You may qualify if…
- Consume 200-600 mg caffeine daily
- Willing and capable of signing the informed consent
- Willing to attend 4 testing sessions that will take 4-6 hours each AND will be at least 7 days apart
- Willing to abstain from caffeine for 24 hours before each testing session
- Willing to and able to have MRIs
You may not qualify if…
- As determined from the medical screening session
- active neurological dysfunction (such as a major Axis I psychopathology, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, prior history of stroke, epilepsy, or serious central nervous system (CNS) trauma)
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- migraines
- hypertension
- diabetes
- peripheral vascular disease
- taking vasoactive medications (such as anti-hypertensive medications)
- depression that has not been on a stable medical treatment for at least 4 weeks
- Pregnancy
- Color blindness
- Allergy to chocolate, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, mike, wheat
- Individuals who are or potentially may be cognitively or psychologically impaired, or who otherwise have a limited capacity to provide consent
Where it is running
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences — Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov
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