Changes in female cognitive performance after energetic drink consumption: a preliminary study

1. A group of males and a group of females consumed either no drink, a placebo or a caffeine-containing energy drink. Subjects were requested to perform a simple reaction times task and a go-no-go reaction times task. 2. Males responded significantly faster than females. The effect of drink was apparent only for females performing the go-no-go task, while it was undetectable in female simple reaction times and in males. 3. A mild effect due to the drink, but not to the placebo, appears only when the task requires a certain degree of cognitive processing and is evident only in subjects possibly adopting a cognitive strategy that allows an improvement of performance.