Investigation of the Acute Effects of Nepalese Pepper Extract (Zanthoxylum Armatum DC) on Cognitive Function, Mood and Gaming Performance in Young, Healthy, Competitive Gamers

Zanthoxylum armatum DC (ZA), also known as Nepalese pepper (or TImut pepper, contains numerous active chemicals throughout all parts of the organism. Traditionally used in the treatment of intestinal disorders, depression and as topical treatment for toothache it is commonly ingested through the form of Daikenchuto, a traditional combination of the Zanthoxylum fruit with ginseng root, ginger rhizome and rice gluten. In recent years it has been established that ZA also possesses cognitive enhancing properties, with the primary active component revealed to be the fatty acid amide hydroxy α-sanshool. Additionally, ZA is rich in monoterpenes which have also been shown to positively affect cognition and the combination of these compounds may lead to numerous improvements in brain function.

Through a double-blind placebo-controlled study, acute single dose administration of 80 mg of ZA was shown to improve cognitive performance in 'Speed of Attention' and Rapid Visual Information Processing, a sustained attention task. In the same study, chronic (56 day) administration resulted in overall improvement in 'Speed of Performance' with more correct Serial 3 subtractions 3h post dose and lower mental fatigue compared to placebo during performance of the Cognitive Demand Battery (CDB). In both acute and chronic cases, the mechanisms underpinning the effects are currently unknown, and the differences could be attributed to distinct changes over time. For the acute effects there may be a cholinergic mechanism at play, with previous research suggesting that there has been a cholinesterase inhibitory effect from ZA. Meanwhile, the observed chronic improvements suggest a more general improvement in neural efficiency and processing speeds rather than the memory/attention benefits generally expected from cholinergic agents. A similar study on the cognitive effects of a multi-ingredient herbal supplement also resulted in speed of cognition improvement. Although this herbal remedy did not contain ZA or hydroxy α-sanshool, it did contain short chain fatty acids and terpenes suggesting a similar mechanism could be at work to improve neural efficiency.

An increasing area of interest for performance research is in the world of Esports and competitive gaming, where cognitive abilities are paramount. As with non-digital sports, esport competition incurs physical and mental demands, including motor skills, mental agility, processing speed, motivation, executive function and to a lower degree, physical exertion. Success hinges on mastering cognitive tasks such as visuospatial processing, cognitive workload, attention and cognitive control, hand-eye coordination, fast reaction times and quick decision-making capabilities. Alongside these cognitive factors, the importance of personal social and emotional competencies within esports has been explored through the creation of a detailed competence model of digital games. Factors such as self-efficacy, mood, self-control, personality traits and emotional self-regulation have displayed correlations with traditional sport performance and therefore it would be expected improvements in these areas would also create better results for gamers. Within esports, viewership is overwhelmingly dominated by either Massive Online Battle Arena's (MOBA) and First Person Shooters (FPS), according to peak viewing statistics in recent years. It has been noted that FPS and MOBA game types share a similar fast paced, high intensity element which separates them from Real-time Strategy (RTS) games, however despite this the contrast in player character control mechanisms creates distinct performance metrics. Consequently, studies looking to analyse game performance across different genre players should incorporate genre-specific game performance measurement tools, the simplest of which would be in-game rank, but could extend to more detailed in-game metrics.

Cognitive tests provide a useful measure of the varying domains of mental performance, with a long-established history of validated measures of perception, attention and concentration, memory, executive function and processing speed. Given their broad range of applicability, measures of cognition may be able to map onto varying game genre competencies, as has been seen through research on numeric ability and flexible thinking, establishing some general abilities that persist across all game genres as fundamental cognitive abilities for performance.

One aspect common to all esports players is the prolonged nature of training and gameplay, requiring sustained attention, resulting in high mental demand and fatigue. Energy drink consumption is high within gamers; marketing of these products includes claims of mental fatigue attenuation and maintaining alertness during game play and several energy drink companies also provide sponsorship for esports teams. An emerging area of research considers the potential to enhance gaming performance following administration of various nootropics, primarily focussing on highly caffeinated energy products. Notably here, following 3 mg/kg caffeine, professional gamers performed quicker during a simple reaction time task, alongside quicker and more accurate performance on a first-person shooting task. Similarly, following acute supplementation with 125 mg caffeine, participants were more accurate during a tracking task. Within the same trial, following a combined supplement of caffeine, methylliberine and theacrine (125, 75 and 50 mg, respectively), improvements were observed in visuospatial working memory, alongside quicker kill time within a first-person shooter game and improved self-assessed performance, suggesting a potential synergistic effect when co-supplementing, rather than administering caffeine in isolation. A second trial using the same combined supplement that focused on traditional cognitive test outcomes reported improved performance on the Flanker Test of Inhibitory Control and quicker reaction time on the Psychomotor Vigilance Task; alongside increased self-reported alertness.