1. Introduction
CHO mouth
EVENT
Research investigating the effects of carbohydrate (CHO) mouth rinsing on neurocognitive functions is currently limited and has yielded inconsistent results. In this study, we employed the event-related potential (ERP) electroencephalography technique to investigate the effect of CHO mouth rinsing on electrophysiological correlates of visuospatial attention. Using a double-blind, non-nutritive sweetener (NNS)-controlled, within-subjects design, 53 young adults performed a standard cognitive task (modified Simon task) on two separate days in a fasted state (16 h). Intermittently, mouth rinsing was performed either with a CHO (glucose, 18%, 30 mL) or an NNS solution (aspartame, 0.05%, 30 mL). Results revealed that relative to NNS, electrophysiological correlates of both more bottom-up controlled visuospatial attention (N1One intriguing finding from exercise science is the potential of orosensory signals to influence human physical performance [This study examined the effects of oral CHO availability on neurocognitive processes. This way, we wanted to contribute to the research literature in two respects. First, understanding how oral CHO availability affects human information processing may shed light on neurocognitive factors involved in the putative central mechanism. Through adopting such a mechanistic approach, we may gain a more nuanced understanding of how oral carbohydrate (CHO) availability impacts physical performance at a more general level. Ultimately, this might contribute to the development of evidence-based guidelines for practical applications [Second, by studying the influence of oral CHO availability on human information processing, we may further contribute to the lately intensely investigated question of how reward and cognition interact in humans [At the methodological level, studies examining the effects of oral CHO availability typically apply a technique referred to as Assuming that CHO mouth rinsing exerts its ergogenic effects via a central mechanism, it is reasonable to hypothesize that it may also enhance cognitive functions. Critically, neurocognitive factors involved in a potential central mechanism might be identified by investigating the effects of CHO mouth rinsing on information processing. The question remains, however, as to how these alterations in neurocognitive processes can be effectively measured and analyzed. One straightforward approach to examining the impact of CHO mouth rinsing on cognitive performance is to assess behavioral outcomes, such as response times (RTs) and accuracy rates while performing a cognitive task. However, this methodology has limitations in its ability to fully capture mental processes that may not be readily observable at the behavioral level. Analyzing the summed electrical brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) is another way to infer mental processes more granularly. By applying the event-related potential (ERP) technique to the EEG data, which involves averaging the data time-locked to a specific event, it is possible to assess neural responses associated with specific mental processes [Despite the potential advantages of using EEG-ERP to study the effects of CHO mouth rinsing on neurocognitive processes, to our knowledge, only three studies have investigated this topic [More recently, another study [In our recent study [Given this background, it is challenging to draw clear overall conclusions regarding the impact of CHO mouth rinsing on electrophysiological correlates of cognition. However, a commonality across all studies is the lack of evidence supporting CHO mouth rinsing enhancing mental processes. Instead, the opposite may hold true; CHO mouth rinsing potentially has a negative impact on electrophysiological correlates of cognitive processes related to error processing [In the current EEG-ERP study, we aimed to investigate the potential effects of CHO mouth rinsing on human cognition, specifically focusing on its impact on electrophysiological correlates of visuospatial attention. To achieve this goal, we applied a standard cognitive task known as a Simon task [Using such a task, subprocesses of visuospatial attention can be assessed using the EEG-ERP method. More automatic bottom-up controlled visuospatial attentional processes can be investigated by analyzing the N1-posterior-contralateral (N1The aim of the present study was two-fold: First, to shed light on an often-suspected central mechanism thought to underlie the ergogenic effects of CHO mouth rinsing on physical performance by understanding how cognition might be affected by CHO mouth rinsing. Second, understanding how CHO mouth rinsing affects human cognition might contribute to the research field on the interaction between (orosensory) reward and cognition in humans.