Impact of refreshing perception on mood, cognitive performance and brain oscillations: An exploratory study

The aim of the present research was to evaluate the effect of refreshing perception on mental energy in terms of cortical activation and cognitive performance. Refreshing perception was induced by the consumption of an optimized citrus-flavored water ice with specific sensory properties leading to cooling and mouth-wetting sensations. Comparison treatments were standard water ices differing in refreshing intensity but matched in flavor and energy content, and a glass of water. In a first experiment, electroencephalographic activity of participants was monitored while performing a task of sustained attention. Relative to both comparison treatments, results revealed that the optimized water ice improved cortical activation in the alpha and beta powers known to be involved in neural circuits of attention, working memory and sensory-motor integration. In a second experiment, results revealed improved performance of attention after consumption of the optimized water ice relative to comparison treatments. Altogether, our results provide preliminary evidence supporting the beneficial impact of refreshing perception, reflected in the enhancement of cortical activation necessary for recruiting optimal resources for task performance.