Approximately 80% of the population worldwide consume caffeine. In adults, the acute effects of the stimulant on sleep-wake regulation are rather well described, e.g. as enhancement of alertness, reduction of sleep pressure and changes in circadian rhythmicity. Although teenagers might be particularly vulnerable for such disturbances of sleep-wake regulation, the effects of the stimulant in this age group have not yet been systematically investigated. Moreover, in adults, it is unclear whether sleep-wake regulation adapts to daily caffeine intake and how this process is mirrored in brain structure and functions.

CURRENT STATE

Currently, three multimodal projects involving national and international collaborations are ongoing. One Swiss National Science Foundation project (SNSF) focuses on the influence of acute caffeine intake on teenager’s sleep and brain functions. A second SNSF project employs EEG and MRI to investigate the effects of habitual caffeine intake on sleep-wake regulation and brain plasticity in adults. Recently, Yu-Shiuan Lin received an SNSF doc.mobility fellowship and will work in a PET-MR project with the Dep. of Molecular Imaging at Forschungszentrum Jülich. There we will examine the joint effect of habitual caffeine consumption and chronic sleep restriction on adenosine modulation and brain plasticity. Results derived from these projects are released in progress.

PEOPLE

MSc students: Maria Grab, Joshua Kistler, Simon Veitz, Rowena Waldis

Former interns: Miriam Bühler, Sven Leach, Andrea Schumacher, Laura Tincknell

COLLABORATION

University of Basel, Switzerland

Prof. Stefan Borgwardt
Department of Neuropsychiatry >> Link

Prof. Dr. phil. Oliver Bieri Paravicini and Dr. Francesco Santini
Department of Radiological Physics >> Link

Prof. Katharina Rentsch and Sophia Rehm
Laboratory Medicine >> Link

University of Zurich, Switzerland

Prof. Hans-Peter Landolt
Chronobiology and Sleep Research group, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology >> Link

Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany

PD Dr. med. David Elmenhorst
Molecular Imaging group, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-2) >> Link

University of Vienna, Austria

Prof. Christopher Gerner and Dr. Samuel Meier
Department of Analytical Chemistry >> Link

Massachusetts General Hospital, USA

Prof. Hsiao-Ying Wey (Monica)
Wey Lab, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging >> Link

PUBLICATIONS

Journal paper

Lin Y-S, Weibel J., Landolt H.-P., Santini F., Garbazza C., Kistler J., Rehm S., Rentsch K., Borgwardt S., Cajochen C., Reichert C. (2021) Time to recover from daily caffeine intake. bioRxiv:2021.2007.2001.450708.

Weibel, J., Lin, Y.-S., Landolt, H. P., Berthomier, C., Brandewinder, M., Kistler, J., Rehm, S. Rentsch, K. M., Meyer, M., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C.Reichert, C. F. (2021). Regular Caffeine Intake Delays REM Sleep Promotion and Attenuates Sleep Quality in Healthy Men. J Biol Rhythms, 7487304211013995. doi:10.1177/07487304211013995

Lin, Y.-S., Weibel, J., Landolt, H.-P., Santini, F., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C., Reichert, C. Working Memory Performance after Daily Caffeine Intake: Compromised Performance and Reduced Hippocampal Activity. bioRxiv: 2021.2004.2019.440520.

Lin Y.-S., Weibel J., Landolt H.-P., Santini F., Meyer M., Borgwardt S., Cajochen C., Reichert C.F. 2021. Caffeine-induced Plasticity of Grey Matter Volume in Healthy Brains: A placebo-controlled multimodal within-subject study. Cerebral Cortex: 31(6):3096-3106.

Reichert C.F, Veitz S., Bühler M., Gruber G., Deuring G., Rehm S.S., Rentsch K., Garbazza C., Meyer M., Slawik H., Lin Y.-S., Weibel J. 2020. Wide awake at bedtime? Effects of caffeine on sleep and circadian timing in male adolescents – A randomized crossover trial. Biochemical pharmacology:114283.

Weibel J, Lin Y.-S., Landolt H.-P., Kistler J., Rehm S., Rentsch K.M., Slawik H., Borgwardt S., Cajochen C., Reichert C.F. 2020. The Impact of Daily Caffeine Intake on Nighttime Sleep: Signs of Overnight Withdrawal? Sci Rep, 11(1), 4668. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-84088-x.

Weibel J, Lin Y.-S., Landolt H.-P., Garbazza C., Kolodyazhniy V., Kistler J., Rehm S., Rentsch K.M., Borgwardt S., Cajochen C., Reichert C.F. 2020. Caffeine-Dependent Changes of Sleep-Wake Regulation: Evidence for adaptation after repeated intake. Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry 99:109851.

Conference paper

Lin, Y.-S., Weibel, J., Landolt, H.-P., Santini, F., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C., Reichert, C. Daily Caffeine Consumption Reduces Human Grey Matter in Hippocampus Independent of Sleep Pressure. Clocks&Sleep, 1, 414–434; doi:10.3390/clockssleep1040033 (2019).

Reichert, C., Veitz, S., Lin, Y.-S., Weibel, J., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Cajochen, C. Evening Caffeine Intake Induces Alertness in Teenagers, but Does Not Affect Melatonin Levels. Clocks&Sleep, 1, 414–434; doi:10.3390/clockssleep1040033 (2019).

Weibel, J., Lin, Y.S., Landolt, H.-P., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C., Reichert, C. The Effects of Repeated Daytime Caffeine Intake and Its Cessation on Nighttime Sleep. Clocks&Sleep, 1, 414–434; doi:10.3390/clockssleep1040033 (2019).

Lin, Y.-S., Weibel, J., Landolt, H.-P., Müller, F., Santini, F., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C., Reichert, C. Habitual daily caffeine consumption and its cessation changes human grey matter density independent from the effect of cerebral blood flow: a multimodal study. Journal of Sleep Research, Volume 27, Issue S1 (2018).

Reichert, C., Weibel, J., Lin, Y.-S., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Landolt, H.-P., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C. Effects of chronic caffeine consumption and caffeine withdrawal on human waking performance, sleep and brain structure.  Journal of Sleep Research, Volume 27, Issue S1 (2018).

Weibel, J., Lin, Y.-S., Landolt, H.-P., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Cajochen, C., Reichert, C. Influence of habitual caffeine intake and its withdrawal on circadian phase and nap sleep in the evening. Journal of Sleep Research, Volume 27, Issue S1 (2018).

Weibel, J., Lin, Y. S., Landolt, H. P., Garbazza, C., Meyer, M., Slawik, H., Borgwardt, S., Reichert, C., Cajochen, C. Influence of Long-Term Caffeine Consumption and Its Withdrawal on Subjective Sleepiness, Vigilance, and Melatonin. Sleep, 41, A71-A71 (2018).