Cognitive Function Assessment, Mental Fatigue
Conditions
Keywords
Creatine Monohydrate, Cognitive Function, Mental Fatigue, Stroop Task, Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
Brief summary
This study examined whether short-term creatine supplementation affects cognitive function in healthy young adults. Participants were randomly assigned to take either creatine monohydrate or a placebo for 10 days. Participants took 30 grams per day, divided into six 5-gram doses. Before and after the supplementation period, participants completed cognitive tests designed to assess areas such as memory, attention, reaction time, and processing speed. Participants also completed a 30-minute mentally challenging Stroop task, and brain oxygenation was measured during cognitive testing using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The purpose of the study was to determine whether 10 days of high-dose creatine supplementation improves cognitive performance compared with placebo following a mentally challenging task.
Interventions
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTCreatine Monohydrate
Participants consumed 30 g/day of creatine monohydrate (Creapure®; AlzChem Trostberg GmbH, Germany) for 10 consecutive days. The daily dose was divided into six 5-g doses consumed throughout the day and mixed with food or water. Each 5-g dose was provided in an individual bag.
DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTMaltodextrin Placebo
Participants consumed 30 g/day of maltodextrin (Dry Maltodextrin; Cargill, Minnesota, USA) for 10 consecutive days. The daily dose was divided into six 5-g doses consumed throughout the day and mixed with food or water. The placebo was provided in individual bags and was similar to the creatine intervention in taste, color, texture, and appearance.
Sponsors
University of Northern Iowa
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 18 years or older. * Healthy adult. * Willing and able to provide written informed consent.
Exclusion criteria
* History of cognitive impairment. * Previous diagnosis of a neurological or neurophysiological condition, including dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or muscular dystrophy. * History of traumatic brain injury, including concussion. * Pre-existing kidney or liver abnormalities. * Consumption of dietary products containing creatine within 30 days prior to the start of the study.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cognitive Performance Standard Scores Assessed by Central Nervous System Vital Signs (CNSVS) | Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation | Cognitive performance was assessed using the Central Nervous System Vital Signs (CNSVS) computerized neurocognitive assessment battery. Standardized scores were obtained for cognitive domains including memory, psychomotor speed, reaction time, complex attention, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, executive function, simple attention, and motor speed. Standard scores are age-normalized with a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, with higher scores indicating better cognitive performance. |
| Stroop Task Performance - Reaction Time | Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation | Mean reaction time during the Stroop cognitive task, measured in milliseconds. Reaction times will be averaged across the specified task blocks at each assessment time point. |
| Stroop Test Performance - Accuracy | Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation. | Accuracy during the Stroop cognitive task, expressed as the percentage of correctly completed trials at each assessment time point. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Concentration of Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenation Assessed by Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy | Baseline and after 10 days of supplementation | Concentration of prefrontal cortex oxygenation was assessed using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS; OctaMon+). Cerebral hemodynamic responses during cognitive testing were quantified using changes in oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb), deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb), total hemoglobin (THb), and hemoglobin difference (HbDiff). |
| Subjective Mental Fatigue Assessed Using a Visual Analog Scale | During cognitive testing at baseline and after 10 days of supplementation | Subjective mental fatigue was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) during each cognitive testing session. Ratings were obtained at five time points: before cognitive testing, midway through the 30-minute Stroop task, immediately following the Stroop task, midway through the CNS Vital Signs assessment, and following completion of the CNS Vital Signs assessment. |
| Subjective Energy Assessed Using a Visual Analog Scale | During cognitive testing at baseline and after 10 days of supplementation. | Subjective energy was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) during each cognitive testing session. Ratings were obtained at five time points: before cognitive testing, midway through the 30-minute Stroop task, immediately following the Stroop task, midway through the CNS Vital Signs assessment, and following completion of the CNS Vital Signs assessment. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed