The Effects of Caffeine on Human Spinal Motoneurons

Healthy Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Effects of Caffeine on Human Spinal Motoneurons

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04891393
• Other study ID #: 26014
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: June 1, 2021
• Est. completion date: March 28, 2022

Study information

• Verified date: April 2022
• Source: Temple University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This study evaluates the effects of orally ingested, commercially available, coffee (3 mg/kg of caffeine) on the excitability of human spinal motoneurons of the lower leg.

Description:

Recently, it has been shown that human spinal motoneurons do not simply act as a binary control system. Instead, they are regulated by intrinsic properties that can elicit lingering effects on the descending motoneuron. Caffeine, one of the world's most popular over-the-counter supplements, can potentially augment these characteristics of motoneurons. Using decomposition software and non-invasive, high-density surface electromyography, it is possible to extract the characteristics of these motoneurons. This project will utilize a double-blind, inactive-placebo controlled, crossover design study to examine and quantify the effects of caffeine on motoneuron excitability.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 20
• Est. completion date: March 28, 2022
• Est. primary completion date: March 28, 2022
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years to 70 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

? Between 18 and 70 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

• Significant neurological or orthopedic injuries, which may limit volitional torque generation in the tested muscles.

• Significant change in the subjects' health or treatment in the past month.

• Known history of cardiovascular pathology (to include: uncontrolled hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias) or medical restrictions to caffeine ingestion.

• Allergies or dislike of coffee.

• Women who are pregnant will be excluded due to potential forces at trunk from pelvic safety harness and due to potential adverse effects of caffeine on the developing child.

• Women who are breastfeeding will be excluded due potential adverse effects on the breastfeeding infant from caffeine administration.

• Adults unable to consent, minors, pregnant women, and prisoners will not be included.

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Healthy

Intervention

Dietary Supplement:
• Coffee
Starbucks brand "Via" instant coffee. (Caffeine Content: 3 mg / kg)
• Decaffeinated coffee
Starbucks brand "Via" instant decaffeinated coffee. (Caffeine Content: 15 - 25 mg)

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Temple University	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Temple University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (3)

Farina D, Negro F. Accessing the neural drive to muscle and translation to neurorehabilitation technologies. IEEE Rev Biomed Eng. 2012;5:3-14. doi: 10.1109/RBME.2012.2183586. Review. — View Citation

Gorassini M, Yang JF, Siu M, Bennett DJ. Intrinsic activation of human motoneurons: possible contribution to motor unit excitation. J Neurophysiol. 2002 Apr;87(4):1850-8. — View Citation

Rosenberg JR, Amjad AM, Breeze P, Brillinger DR, Halliday DM. The Fourier approach to the identification of functional coupling between neuronal spike trains. Prog Biophys Mol Biol. 1989;53(1):1-31. Review. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Motoneuron excitability (Delta-f)	Changes in motorneuron excitability, as quantified by Delta-F values. A paired motor unit technique will be utilized (Gorassini et al., 2002). (Typically, these values range from -5 to +10).	Measured repeatedly at set intervals; Pre-Intervention & 30, 60, 90 minutes post-Intervention
Secondary	Motor Unit Discharge Rate	Changes in motor unit discharge rate. This is a single value that ranges from, approximately, 0 to 30.	Measured repeatedly at set intervals; Pre-Intervention & 30, 60, 90 minutes post-Intervention
Secondary	Coherence	Changes in coherence values. Coherence provides a normalized value of the strength of correlation in the frequency domain. The magnitude of the correlation of the Fourier transforms of two spike trains is squared producing a value between 0 and 1, with 1 corresponding to a perfect linear prediction at a particular frequency (Rosenberg et al., 1989). This will be calculated using the composite spike train (Negro & Farina, 2012) and, finally, z-transformed to allow for between-trial comparisons.	Measured repeatedly at set intervals; Pre-Intervention & 30, 60, 90 minutes post-Intervention
Secondary	Motor Unit Recruitment Threshold	Changes in motor unit recruitment threshold. As assessed by determining the amount of force (percentage of maximum volitional force output) needed to recruit an individual motor unit.	Measured repeatedly at set intervals; Pre-Intervention & 30, 60, 90 minutes post-Intervention