title: The effect of caffeine on handwriting movements in skilled writers.
abstract: In laboratory tasks, caffeine has been shown to improve psychomotor performance. The aim of the present experiment was to assess the effects of caffeine on a skilled everyday life task in habitual caffeine consumers. The assessment of handwriting movements of 20 adults was performed following the administration of 0mg/kg (placebo), 1.5mg/kg, 3.0mg/kg or 4.5mg/kg of caffeine. A digitising tablet was used for the assessment of fine motor movements. Participants were asked to perform a simple writing task. Kinematic analysis of handwriting movements showed that, in comparison to placebo administration, high doses of caffeine (i.e., 4.5mg/kg) can produce improvements in handwriting as indicated by more fluent handwriting movements as well as an increase in maximum velocity and maximum positive and negative accelerations. The results suggest that higher doses of caffeine can enhance psychomotor performance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Regensburg, 93040 Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tucha
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walitza
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mecklinger
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stasik
authors.forename: Thomas-A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Sontag
authors.forename: Klaus W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Lange
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine