The Effects of a Caffeine Supplement (UBrain) on Cognitive Fatigue After a Virtual Reality Drive Simulation

October 1, 2026 updated by: University of Padova

The Effects of the Caffeine Supplement UBrain on Cognitive Fatigue and Performance in Motorsport Athletes After a Virtual Reality Drive Simulation

Motorsport drivers are now widely recognized as athletes in their own right, as they are required to cope with levels of physical and psychological stress comparable to those experienced in more conventional sports. However, cognitive function appears to play a particularly crucial role in motorsport athletes. Indeed, in competitive automobile racing, the ability to achieve and maintain high speeds depends to a large extent on cognitive information-processing abilities rather than solely on physical parameters.

Although these motor-cognitive abilities can be enhanced through specific training and coaching programs targeting both physical and psychological domains, to date, few studies in the scientific literature have investigated the potential psychophysiological benefits of sports supplementation in motorsport athletes. One aspect that warrants further investigation is the use of dietary supplements containing caffeine and nootropic compounds. Indeed, these supplementation has been shown to potentially enhance executive functions and working memory at the central level.

Therefore, the investigation of novel supplementation strategies with potential ergogenic effects on the psychophysiological performance of motorsport drivers remains important for optimizing both central and peripheral adaptations in this specific athletic population. To this end, the dietary supplement (UBrain) was selected for use in the present study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
8

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

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Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • PD
      • Padova, PD, Italy, 10034
        • Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padua
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 35 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • No evidence of cognitive impairment, defined as a final score of ≥26 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).
  • Previous experience with on-track driving and/or driving simulation

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Medical history, signs, or symptoms of severe, uncontrolled, or unstable diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic, renal, thyroid, neurological, neuromuscular, peripheral vascular, or autoimmune disease.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: UBrain group

Ubrain in a supplement containing mostly caffeine and other components. Four pills (daily dose) contain 200 mg of caffeine.
Dietary supplement: Caffeine supplement

Participants will attend the laboratory and undergo a battery of cognitive tests using electroencephalography (EEG) (Go/No-Go task, psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), Open-Closed eyes). Subsequently, participants will receive the Ubrain supplement. Participants will then complete a virtual reality (VR)-based driving simulator intervention, consisting of a total of 40 minutes of simulated driving. Finally, the same tests described above will be repeated to assess the effects of the dietary supplement on cognitive fatigue. After a one-week washout period, the treatment groups will be reversed.
Placebo Comparator: placebo

The placebo is composed of maltodextrins. Four pills contain 4 gr of carbohydrate.
Dietary supplement: Placebo

Participants will attend the laboratory and undergo a battery of cognitive tests using electroencephalography (EEG) (Go/No-Go task, psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), Open-Closed eyes). Subsequently, participants will receive the placebo. Participants will then complete a virtual reality (VR)-based driving simulator intervention, consisting of a total of 40 minutes of simulated driving. Finally, the same tests described above will be repeated to assess the effects of the dietary supplement on cognitive fatigue. After a one-week washout period, the treatment groups will be reversed.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Cognitive Fatigue
Time Frame: baseline and post drive simulation in the same session for both day 1 and day 2

Cognitive fatigue will be assessed by examining changes in functional connectivity derived from the eyes-open and eyes-closed EEG recordings. Specifically, connectivity measures obtained before and after the driving simulation will be compared to evaluate changes associated with the 40-minute VR driving task. In addition, post-simulation connectivity measures will be compared between the placebo and UBrain conditions to determine whether supplementation attenuates or modulates the neurophysiological changes associated with prolonged cognitive demand. This approach is based on the rationale that sustained cognitive load and mental fatigue may be accompanied by alterations in functional brain connectivity, reflecting changes in the organization and efficiency of large-scale neural networks involved in attention, executive control, and information processing.
baseline and post drive simulation in the same session for both day 1 and day 2

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
University of Padova

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Director: Antonio Paoli, University of Padua Department of Biomedical Sciences

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 22, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 29, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
October 5, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 1, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • UBrain

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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