Cognitive FunctionEPXNCT07533045
Effects of Paraxanthine Supplementation on eSport Performancre
A study testing Paraxanthine in people with Cognitive Function and Gaming Performance, run by Lindenwood University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This study will evaluate the effects of daily paraxanthine supplementation on electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, sleep quality, and autonomic responses in healthy adult gamers. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 40 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Cognitive Function, Gaming Performance
- What is being tested?
- Paraxanthine
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 15 Jun 2021to 14 Apr 2025
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 40 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- 18 - 40 years of age
- Self-reported to be beginners to gaming or have no experience at all
- Body Mass Index between 18.5 - 29.9 kg/m2
Who cannot join
- Outside of age range
- Is considered a gamer
- Body mass index is outside of posted inclusion range
- Noncompliance with protocol
- Women who are currently pregnant or are actively planning to become pregnant
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Lindenwood University Exercise and Performance Nutrition Laboratory
Saint Charles, Missouri, 63301
About this study
This study will evaluate the effects of daily paraxanthine supplementation on electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, sleep quality, and autonomic responses in healthy adult gamers. Participants will be enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study and assigned to receive either paraxanthine or placebo daily for 6 weeks.
Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, Week 3, and Week 6 and will include electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, visual analog scale ratings, sleep quality questionnaires, hemodynamic responses, and heart rate variability. The study is designed to determine whether paraxanthine supplementation improves performance and selected physiological and psychological outcomes during prolonged electronic gaming sessions.
Read the detailed description
Electronic gaming has grown substantially in popularity, with increasing interest in strategies that may improve performance, cognitive function, sleep quality, and stress management. Despite this growth, there is limited controlled research evaluating nutritional interventions that may influence gaming-specific performance and associated physiological responses.
Paraxanthine is a primary metabolite of caffeine and has been shown to exhibit physiological effects related to alertness, cognitive performance, and central nervous system activity. However, limited research has evaluated the direct effects of paraxanthine supplementation on performance outcomes in electronic gaming environments.
This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial designed to examine the effects of paraxanthine supplementation on electronic gaming performance and associated cognitive, psychological, and physiological responses. Participants will be assigned to receive paraxanthine or placebo daily for 6 weeks. All participants and study personnel involved in testing and outcome assessment will remain blinded to group assignment throughout the study.
Following screening and informed consent, eligible participants will complete a familiarization session to practice cognitive testing procedures and become oriented to the gaming environment. Participants will complete testing visits at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6. Prior to each visit, participants will replicate their dietary intake for 24 hours, maintain their normal caffeine intake pattern, avoid non-habitual stimulants for 48 hours, limit caffeine intake within 3 hours of testing, and complete a 3-hour fast.
At each visit, participants will undergo assessment of body mass, resting heart rate, and blood pressure, followed by completion of sleep questionnaires, cognitive testing, and visual analog scales. After ingestion of the assigned supplement, participants will complete heart rate variability assessment and then perform two standardized 60-minute gaming sessions. Cognitive outcomes, hemodynamic responses, and subjective measures will be reassessed after each gaming period. Heart rate variability will also be assessed following completion of the gaming session.
Electronic gaming performance will be assessed using standardized gameplay metrics collected during each session. Cognitive function will be evaluated using validated neurocognitive tests, and sleep quality will be assessed using standardized questionnaires. Autonomic function will be evaluated using heart rate variability measures.
The primary objective of this study is to determine whether paraxanthine supplementation improves electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, and subjective measures of fatigue, concentration, and focus compared with placebo. Secondary objectives include evaluating the effects of supplementation on sleep quality, heart rate variability, and hemodynamic responses.
- Conditions
- Cognitive Function, Gaming Performance
- Being tested
- Placebo, Paraxanthine
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
PlaceboDietary supplement
Participants will ingest a placebo supplement daily for 6 weeks. The supplement will be consumed with approximately 8 ounces of water at a consistent time each day.
ParaxanthineDietary supplement
Participants will ingest paraxanthine daily for 6 weeks. The supplement will be consumed with approximately 8 ounces of water at a consistent time each day.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo Comparator | Placebo comparator | Participants assigned to this group will ingest a placebo supplement daily for 6 weeks. All participants will complete identical testing procedures at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6. Receives: Dietary Supplement: Placebo |
| Paraxanthine | Experimental | Participants assigned to this group will ingest paraxanthine daily for 6 weeks. All participants will complete identical testing procedures at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6. Receives: Dietary Supplement: Paraxanthine |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Gaming Performance Score
Electronic gaming performance will be assessed using standardized gameplay metrics collected during 60- and 120-minute gaming sessions. Primary variables include knock-outs, falls, damage given, damage taken, hit percentage, and peak damage.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Trail Making Test Part A (Completion Time)
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part A, including total time to completion.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Trail Making Test Part B (Completion Time)
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part B, including total time to completion.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Trail Making Test Part A (Errors)
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part A, including total number of errors.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Trail Making Test Part B (Errors)
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part B, including total number of errors.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Stroop Color and Word Test Performance
Cognitive performance will be assessed using the Stroop Color and Word Test, including response time and accuracy.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Profile of Mood States (POMS) Total Mood Disturbance Score
Mood state will be assessed using the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, with calculation of total mood disturbance score.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Autonomic function will be assessed using heart rate variability metrics including RMSSD, high-frequency power, low-frequency power, and LF:HF ratio.
Measured: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted16 Apr 2026
- Study start15 Jun 2021
- Primary completion14 Apr 2025
- Study completion14 Apr 2025
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Cognitive FunctionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will be randomized to one of two parallel groups to receive either paraxanthine or placebo daily for 6 weeks. All participants will complete identical testing procedures at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6.
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Lindenwood University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Chad M Kerksick, PhD, Principal investigator, Lindenwood University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07533045
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 21-62A
- Acronym
- EPX
- Status last verified
- Mar 2026
- First submitted
- 9 Apr 2026
- Last updated
- 16 Apr 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 16 Apr 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Effects of Paraxanthine Supplementation on eSport Performancre
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07533045
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- EPX / 21-62A
- Conditions
- Cognitive Function, Gaming Performance
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Lindenwood UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 15 Jun 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 14 Apr 2025 (actual)
- Study completion
- 14 Apr 2025 (actual)
- First posted
- 16 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This study will evaluate the effects of daily paraxanthine supplementation on electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, sleep quality, and autonomic responses in healthy adult gamers. Participants will be enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group study and assigned to receive either paraxanthine or placebo daily for 6 weeks.
Outcome measures will be assessed at baseline, Week 3, and Week 6 and will include electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, visual analog scale ratings, sleep quality questionnaires, hemodynamic responses, and heart rate variability. The study is designed to determine whether paraxanthine supplementation improves performance and selected physiological and psychological outcomes during prolonged electronic gaming sessions.
Detailed description
Electronic gaming has grown substantially in popularity, with increasing interest in strategies that may improve performance, cognitive function, sleep quality, and stress management. Despite this growth, there is limited controlled research evaluating nutritional interventions that may influence gaming-specific performance and associated physiological responses.
Paraxanthine is a primary metabolite of caffeine and has been shown to exhibit physiological effects related to alertness, cognitive performance, and central nervous system activity. However, limited research has evaluated the direct effects of paraxanthine supplementation on performance outcomes in electronic gaming environments.
This study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial designed to examine the effects of paraxanthine supplementation on electronic gaming performance and associated cognitive, psychological, and physiological responses. Participants will be assigned to receive paraxanthine or placebo daily for 6 weeks. All participants and study personnel involved in testing and outcome assessment will remain blinded to group assignment throughout the study.
Following screening and informed consent, eligible participants will complete a familiarization session to practice cognitive testing procedures and become oriented to the gaming environment. Participants will complete testing visits at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6. Prior to each visit, participants will replicate their dietary intake for 24 hours, maintain their normal caffeine intake pattern, avoid non-habitual stimulants for 48 hours, limit caffeine intake within 3 hours of testing, and complete a 3-hour fast.
At each visit, participants will undergo assessment of body mass, resting heart rate, and blood pressure, followed by completion of sleep questionnaires, cognitive testing, and visual analog scales. After ingestion of the assigned supplement, participants will complete heart rate variability assessment and then perform two standardized 60-minute gaming sessions. Cognitive outcomes, hemodynamic responses, and subjective measures will be reassessed after each gaming period. Heart rate variability will also be assessed following completion of the gaming session.
Electronic gaming performance will be assessed using standardized gameplay metrics collected during each session. Cognitive function will be evaluated using validated neurocognitive tests, and sleep quality will be assessed using standardized questionnaires. Autonomic function will be evaluated using heart rate variability measures.
The primary objective of this study is to determine whether paraxanthine supplementation improves electronic gaming performance, cognitive function, and subjective measures of fatigue, concentration, and focus compared with placebo. Secondary objectives include evaluating the effects of supplementation on sleep quality, heart rate variability, and hemodynamic responses.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Basic science
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will be randomized to one of two parallel groups to receive either paraxanthine or placebo daily for 6 weeks. All participants will complete identical testing procedures at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo Comparator | Placebo comparator | Dietary Supplement: PlaceboParticipants assigned to this group will ingest a placebo supplement daily for 6 weeks. All participants will complete identical testing procedures at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6. |
| Paraxanthine | Experimental | Dietary Supplement: ParaxanthineParticipants assigned to this group will ingest paraxanthine daily for 6 weeks. All participants will complete identical testing procedures at baseline (Week 0), Week 3, and Week 6. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 40 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- 18 - 40 years of age
- Self-reported to be beginners to gaming or have no experience at all
- Body Mass Index between 18.5 - 29.9 kg/m2
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Outside of age range
- Is considered a gamer
- Body mass index is outside of posted inclusion range
- Noncompliance with protocol
- Women who are currently pregnant or are actively planning to become pregnant
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| PlaceboParticipants will ingest a placebo supplement daily for 6 weeks. The supplement will be consumed with approximately 8 ounces of water at a consistent time each day. | Dietary supplement | Placebo Comparator |
| ParaxanthineParticipants will ingest paraxanthine daily for 6 weeks. The supplement will be consumed with approximately 8 ounces of water at a consistent time each day. | Dietary supplement | Paraxanthine |
Primary outcome
Gaming Performance Score
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Electronic gaming performance will be assessed using standardized gameplay metrics collected during 60- and 120-minute gaming sessions. Primary variables include knock-outs, falls, damage given, damage taken, hit percentage, and peak damage.
Trail Making Test Part A (Completion Time)
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part A, including total time to completion.
Trail Making Test Part B (Completion Time)
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part B, including total time to completion.
Trail Making Test Part A (Errors)
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part A, including total number of errors.
Trail Making Test Part B (Errors)
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Cognitive processing speed and visual attention will be assessed using Trail Making Test Part B, including total number of errors.
Stroop Color and Word Test Performance
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Cognitive performance will be assessed using the Stroop Color and Word Test, including response time and accuracy.
Profile of Mood States (POMS) Total Mood Disturbance Score
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Mood state will be assessed using the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, with calculation of total mood disturbance score.
Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) Score
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) global score.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
Time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6
Autonomic function will be assessed using heart rate variability metrics including RMSSD, high-frequency power, low-frequency power, and LF:HF ratio.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 16 Apr 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Chad M Kerksick, PhD principal investigator
Lindenwood University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Paraxanthine in people with Cognitive Function and Gaming Performance, run by Lindenwood University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 16 Apr 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Gaming Performance Score (time frame: Time Frame: Change from baseline (Week 0) to Week 6). The study lists 9 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 16 Apr 2026.