Observational studyThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2014
Relation between caffeine and behavioral symptoms in elderly patients with dementia: an observational study.
Observational study in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- A systematic review of specialty dementia care units in long-term care settings.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Apathy in Dementia: Systematic Review of Recent Evidence on Pharmacological Treatments.Current psychiatry reports · 2016Pooled it
- Caffeine in Aging Brains: Cognitive Enhancement, Neurodegeneration, and Emerging Concerns About Addiction.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Review
- Sleep as the Foundation of Brain Health.Seminars in neurology · 2025Review
- Caffeine Consumption and Behavioral Symptoms in Nursing Home Residents: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2021Article
- Effect of caffeine on sleep and behaviour in nursing home residents with dementia.European geriatric medicine · 2018Article
- Ingestion of green tea with lowered caffeine improves sleep quality of the elderly via suppression of stress.Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition · 2017Article
- A Surgical Method to Improve the Homeostasis of CSF for the Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesCaffeine is known to improve concentration and reduce fatigue in healthy adults, but high doses may induce anxiety and agitation. Because the effects of caffeine in elderly people with dementia are unknown, this study explores the relation between caffeine and behavioral symptoms in a group of elderly patients with dementia.
designAn observational pilot study.
settingA dementia special care unit of a Dutch nursing home.
participantsA total of 29 elderly patients with dementia. MEASUREMENTS: Behavioral symptoms were measured with the NPI-NH, and sleep and caffeine consumption were measured using questionnaires.
resultsA significant relation was found between the total amount of caffeine consumed during the day and apathy [Kendall's tau (KT) -0.287 p=0.03], and the number of times that participants got up at night (KT 0.462; p <0.01). The amount of caffeine consumed after 6 p.m. was also significantly related to the number of times participants got up at night (KT 0.436; p <0.01). Multilevel analysis showed caffeine to be negatively correlated with aberrant motor behavior [b = -0.47 (0.22), Wald (461) = -2.12, p=0.03] and apathy [b = -0.88 (0.45), Wald (461)= -1.96, p=0.05], and showed a significant relation between caffeine consumption after 6 p.m. and the number of times participants got up at night [b=0.48 (0.22), Wald (461)= 2.20, p=0.03].
conclusionThis study established an association between caffeine consumption and behavioral symptoms in elderly patients with moderately severe dementia. Therefore, adjusting caffeine consumption could be part of an interdisciplinary approach to behavioral symptoms, particularly when aberrant motor behavior, apathy or sleeping difficulties are involved. These results indicate that further research on the effects of caffeine on behavioral symptoms in dementia is warranted.
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