J Am Acad Audiol 2018; 29(07): 587-595
DOI: 10.3766/jaaa.16118
Articles
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Influence of Caffeine on Rotary Chair and Oculomotor Testing

Kathleen M. McNerney
*   Department of Speech-Language Pathology, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY
,
Mary Lou Coad
†   Department of Rehabilitation Science, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
,
Robert Burkard
†   Department of Rehabilitation Science, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
29 May 2020 (online)

Abstract

Background:

When patients are given instructions before vestibular function testing, they are often asked to refrain from ingesting caffeine 24 h before testing. However, research regarding the effects of caffeine on the outcome of vestibular function testing is limited.

Purpose:

To evaluate whether the results from rotational chair tests are influenced by caffeine.

Research Design:

Participants were tested after consuming a caffeinated beverage (i.e., coffee containing ∼300 mg of caffeine), as well as after abstaining from caffeinated beverages. The participants underwent oculomotor testing, sinusoidal harmonic acceleration testing, optokinetic testing, visual enhancement/suppression testing, subjective visual vertical/horizontal testing, trapezoidal step testing, and unilateral utricular centrifugation testing.

Study Sample:

Thirty healthy young controls aged 18–40 yr (mean = 23.28 yr; 9 males, 21 females) participated in the study.

Data Collection and Analysis:

Rotational chair tests were completed with the Neuro Kinetics rotary chair (Pittsburgh, PA). VEST 7.0 software was used to collect and analyze the participants’ eye movements (I-Portal VOG; Neuro Kinetics). IBM SPSS was used to statistically analyze the results.

Results:

Statistically significant differences were found for the results from several oculomotor tests (i.e., vertical saccades [SCs], horizontal SCs, and optokinetics), whereas the remaining rotational chair tests did not reveal any statistically significant differences between sessions. If a statistically significant difference was found, the participants were then stratified based on the amount of caffeine they consumed on a daily basis. This stratification was accomplished based on the guidelines from the International Coffee Organization. When the data were analyzed based on the stratified groups, statistically significant results remained in the no/low caffeine intake group, whereas no statistically significant results remained in the moderate/high caffeine intake group. Clinically speaking, the largest effect was seen in those individuals who did not typically ingest large amounts of caffeine, whereas the results were not found to be significantly different in those individuals who were typical caffeine consumers. This strengthens the argument that it is not necessary to require that individuals refrain from consuming caffeinated beverages before oculomotor/rotary chair testing as the results from typical caffeine consumers are not significantly affected.

Conclusions:

Although statistically significant results were found for a number of the oculomotor function tests, the ingestion of caffeine had little influence on the clinical interpretation of the responses. Therefore, the results from the present study indicate that it is not necessary to require that healthy young individuals abstain from caffeine before undergoing rotary chair/oculomotor testing. Further research is necessary to determine whether there is also a limited effect of caffeine on rotary chair/oculomotor test results from older individuals, as well as individuals diagnosed with a vestibular impairment.

The first author (K.M.) received a New Investigator Research Grant from the American Academy of Audiology’s Research Grants in Hearing and Balance program; this grant program is funded by the American Academy of Audiology/American Academy of Audiology Foundation Research Grants in Hearing and Balance Program.


Data collection and analysis was completed when the first author was working in the Department of Rehabilitation Science at the University at Buffalo.


This study was presented orally at the American Balance Society Meeting, March 6, 2013, Scottsdale, AZ.