| خلاصه مقاله | Background and aims: Cognitive dysfunction is prevailing among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. As the most widely consumed psychoactive substance, this investigation aims to estimate the potential of coffee and caffeine as a cognitive enhancer in MS patients.
Methods: This study was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis and PRISMA 2020 statement. A systematic search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase in October 2023, and updated via handsearching in March 2024. JBI's critical appraisal tools were utilized to scrutinize the risk of bias.
Results: Out of 297 screened records, four studies were eventually found to meet our inclusion criteria. A single-blind crossover trial (n=12) showed short-term caffeine abstinence increased errors on the Stroop cognitive test and also a retrospective cohort study (n=124) found higher coffee intake was associated with subjectively better concentration and attention in MS patients. A small pilot cohort study (n=63) reported better verbal learning and memory performance among MS patients with higher daily coffee consumption, however, a cross-sectional study (n=126) study did not find significant effects of coffee/caffeine intake on other cognitive test measures.
Conclusions: Evidence indicates an association between caffeine and coffee consumption, and improved cognitive outcomes, which suggests a domain-specific cognitive effectiveness for this substance in MS. Considering the small number of examinations and great diversity in assessed outcomes, the findings of this study should translate to clinical practice with great notice. |