Trial reportJournal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)2023
Effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid on working memory and attention: A randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Trial report in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 14 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects ofFrontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- Acute Caffeine Intake Does Not Modulate Active or Reactive Inhibition in Non-Clinical Young Adults, and ADHD Symptoms Do Not Moderate Its Effects.Human psychopharmacology · 2026Trial
- A Pilot Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Parallel Group Trial Evaluating the Effect of 8 Week-Consumption of Guava Jelly Drink in Improving Cognition and Mental Well-Being in Working-Age Adults.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Process Optimization of GABA Instant White Tea Based on Response Surface Methodology and Analysis of Key Flavor Substances.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- SKF-38393 regulates the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 via heparanase-1 in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced neurodegeneration.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The effect of attention shifting on Chinese children's word reading in primary school.Psicologia, reflexao e critica : revista semestral do Departamento de Psicologia da UFRGS · 2024Article
- Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid in Stress and Depressive Disorders through the Gut-Brain Axis.Biomedicines · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundγ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a primary inhibitory neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in the central nervous system. Studies on both animals and humans show that GABA has the pharmacological potential for reducing the impact of cognitive disorders, as well as enhancing cognitive functions and mood. However, its specific effects on human attention and working memory have not yet been extensively studied.
aimsIn this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and crossover trial, we aimed to test whether the administration of 800 mg GABA, dissolved in a drink, acutely affected visual working memory (VWM) maintenance, as well as temporal and spatial attention in healthy adults.
methodsThe participants were 32 young adults (16 females and 16 males). Working memory recall precision, spatial attention and temporal attention were measured by a delayed match-to-sample task, a visual search (VS) task and a speeded rapid serial visual presentation task, respectively. Participants completed two experimental sessions (GABA and Placebo) in randomized and counterbalanced order. In each session, 45 min after administration of the drink, they completed all three aforementioned cognitive tasks.
resultsLinear mixed model analysis results showed that GABA increased VS time, compared to the placebo, but did not affect VS accuracy, temporal attention, nor VWM precision.
conclusionsThe results suggest that GABA increases VS time but does not affect temporal attention and memory, and that previously reported effects on cognition might rely on other functions.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.