2026 ECNP Congress

PS03-3208

Energy drinks but not caffeine and taurine components iImpair behavioral and cognitive functions: protective effects of N-acetylcysteine in rats

Semil Selcen Gocmez — F. Yetim, E. Serin, G. Celebi, G. Duruksu, T. Gundogdu, E.İ. Ugurlar, G. Tufekci, S.H. Furat, Y. Yazir, T. Utkan · Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology, Kocaeli, Türkiye

2026 ECNP Congress

Introduction

Consumption of Energy Drinks (ED) has increased markedly, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Although EDs are typically marketed to improve mood, emerging evidence suggest that they are associated with psychological problems such as anxiety, stress and depressive symptoms. However, the underlying component(s) and mechanisms responsible for the psychological and cognitive changes associated with ED consumption are not yet well understood.

Aims

This study investigated the neurobehavioral effects of EDs and their major components (the caffeine and taurine combination). Additionally, the study aimed to determine whether N-acetylcysteine (NAC), as an antioxidant and neuroprotective agent, exerts a protective effect on cognitive function and mental health against ED-induced deficits.

Methods

Young male rats were divided into 6 groups: Control, ED, caffeine+taurine (CT), NAC, ED+NAC, and CT+NAC. The doses of ED and CT were determined as three cans consumption of energy drink based on previous studies [1,2]. ED (10 mL/kg) or caffeine (3.2 mg/kg) plus taurine (40 mg/kg) were administered orally for 28 days, with or without NAC (150 mg/kg). Anxiety- and depression-like behaviors were assessed using elevated plus maze test (EPM), forced swimming test (FST), and sucrose preference test (SPT), while cognitive functions were evaluated by passive avoidance test (PAT) and Morris water maze test (MWMT) using Ethovision video-tracking software. Hippocampal tissues were collected to determine SOD1, TNFα, and BDNF gene expression by RT-qPCR. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test, with p<0.05 considered significant.

Results

The ED group exhibited depression-like behavior, which was characterized by learned helplessness in the FST, but failed to display anhedonia-like symptoms in the SPT (p<0.05). In the EPM test, the time spent in the open-arm section was statistically significantly reduced in the ED group compared to the control group, which reflects anxiety-like behavior (p<0.05). Cognitive functions evaluated by PAT and MWMT were impaired after ED consumption (p<0.05). CT-treated rats did not display depression-like, anxiety-like behaviors and cognitive impairment with unchanged oxidative and inflammatory levels. NAC treatment significantly reversed ED-induced behavioral changes and learning-memory deficits to control group levels. ED administration increased hippocampal SOD1, TNF-α, and BDNF levels, whereas NAC co-treatment normalized SOD1 and TNF-α and restored behavioral changes.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that ED consumption, but not caffeine and taurine alone, induced anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, and cognitive dysfunction. In the ED group, overloaded antioxidant compensatory mechanisms and proinflammatory response in the hippocampus may underlie behavioral deficits. While BDNF levels were elevated in energy drink group, this increase likely represents a compensatory response to oxidative and inflammatory stress rather than effective neuroprotection. NAC-induced normalization of redox balance, together with further increases in BDNF, was associated with behavioral recovery. Overall, these results suggest that oxidative stress and neuroinflammation play a key role in ED-induced neurobehavioral alterations, and NAC represents a promising supplemental candidate to mitigate the adverse effects of EDs due to its antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. However, further clinical and mechanistic studies are warranted to validate these findings.

No conflict of interest

Keywords:Energy drinks, Learning, Memory, Depression, Anxiety, N-acetylcystein

References

  1. Ferreira, S.E., Abrahao, K.P., Souza-Formigoni, M.L., 2013. Expression of behavioral sensitization to ethanol is increased by energy drink administration. Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav. 110, 245–248.
  2. Costa Valle, M. T., Couto Pereira, N. S., Lampert C., Arcego, D. M., Toniazzo A. P., Limberger, R. P., , Dallegrave, E., , Dalmaz, C., Arbo, M.D., Leal, M. B., 2018. Energy drinks and their component modulate attention, memory, and antioxidant defences in rats. Eur. J. Nutr. 57(7):2501-2511.