80% of the world’s population consumes caffeine. It can be enjoyed as coffee, tea or energy drinks. It is valued for its stimulating effect on alertness and attention.
Previous studies have shown its beneficial effects on health. Several epidemiological studies have shown an inverse relationship between caffeine consumption and all-cause mortality. another study, Posted in Sciencethat after being rewarded with coffee, bees remember the previously acquired floral scent.
A daily dose of coffee will improve memory
This time, Lille researchers from the “Alzheimer and Topathis” Laboratory of the Center for Neuroscience and Cognition Research in Lille (Inserm/University of Lille/Lille University Hospital) studied the effects of coffee on mice.
The researchers divided the two- to three-month-old mice into two groups. The first group received water (the control group) for two weeks, and the second received a daily dose of coffee for the same period. Coffee doses have been modified to mimic the usual caffeine consumption in humans. At the end of the treatment, the researchers observed changes in the mice’s brains. And in particular at the level of the hippocampus, the seat of memory.
The researchers note that regular caffeine consumption leads to permanent and beneficial molecular changes in the hippocampus. This area of the brain located in the temporal lobe is the center of memory. The hippocampus is also involved in orientation and spatial memory. It is this region that is affected first by Alzheimer’s disease.
Regular coffee consumption improves synapse transmission in this brain region. Thus, there will be an association between caffeine and memory in humans. These results are encouraging and reinforce the idea that caffeine can enhance cognitive abilities. The researchers now want to study the molecular effects of daily coffee consumption in more detail. You may find interest in this article in the context of Alzheimer’s disease.
source : Journal of Clinical InvestigationMay 2022.
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