COFFEE FOR BRAIN 2

Coffee vs Tea – Which is Best?!

Coffee's effects revealed in brain scans Coffee improves short-term memory and speeds up reaction times by acting on the brain's prefrontal cortex, according to a new study. Researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine how coffee activates different areas of the brain in 15 volunteers. "Caffeine modulates a higher brain function through its effects on distinct areas of the brain," explains Florian Koppelstätter, who carried out the research with colleagues at the Medical University at Innsbruck, Austria. Prior to testing, the group fasted for 4 to 6 hours, and abstained from caffeine and nicotine for at least 24 hours. Then they were then given either a cup of strong coffee - containing 100 milligrams of caffeine - or a caffeine-free placebo drink. After 20 minutes all participants underwent fMRI scans while carrying out a memory and concentration test. A few days afterwards the experiment was repeated under the same conditions but each received the other drink. Executive memory During the memory tests, participants were shown a fast sequence of capital letters, then flashed a single letter on a screen and told to decide quickly whether this letter was the same as the one which appeared second-to-last in the earlier sequence. They had to respond by pressing a "Y" for yes or "N" for no. "The group all showed activation of the working memory part of the brain," Koppelstätter explains. "But those who received caffeine had significantly greater activation in parts of the prefrontal lobe, known as the anterior cingulate and the anterior cingulate gyrus. These areas are involved in 'executive memory', attention, concentration, planning and monitoring." "This type of memory is used when, for example, you look up a telephone number in a book and then mentally store it before dialling," he adds. Pick-me-up Koppelstätter stresses that the study is preliminary and that he has yet to discover how long the memory effects last or what other effects coffee has on brain function. He adds that the long-term impact of caffeine use is also an important consideration. But he says the study shows that coffee has an effect on specific brain regions involved in memory and concentration that tallies with anecdotal evidence of the drink's "pick-me-up" effect. Caffeine is known to influence adenosine receptors which are found throughout the brain on nerve cells and blood vessels. It is thought that the drug inhibits these receptors and that this excites the nerve cells in the brain. "This may be the mechanism involved," suggests Koppelstätter. The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn8401-coffees-effects-revealed-in-brain-scans.html

How Coffee and Sugar Boost Brain Power If you thought that your morning coffee helped boost your performance in the morning, you were right! So long as you either take sugar in your coffee or you have a sugary snack with it, it truly does give you more brain power. In a study published in Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, researchers found that taken together, caffeine and sugar have a synergistic effect on each other, meaning that it is this enhanced effect on each other (rather than taking either alone) that can help in the areas of attention span and verbal memory. Researcher Dr J. Serra Grabulosa said: "The two substances improve cognitive performance by increasing the efficiency of the two areas of the brain responsible for sustained attention and working memory. The brain is more efficient under the combined effect of the two substances, since it needs fewer resources to produce the same level of performance than when volunteers took only caffeine, glucose or water." Coffee is traditionally considered a 'wake me up' and most of us feel we can't even begin to start the day without it. Now that we know it has more than just the caffeine effect or at least that effect combined with glucose means our brains work more efficiently at attention and memory tasks, we can enjoy our coffee guilt free! http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-take-sugar-your-coffee-and-boost-your-brain-power http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20521321

Spoonful of brain power: Drinking coffee with sugar boosts memory and attention span A cup of coffee is what millions of us rely on to kick-start the day. But new research shows that morning pick-me-up has a much more potent effect on the brain if it is taken with sugar. Scientists at the University of Barcelona in Spain found taking caffeine and sugar at the same time boosted the brain’s performance more than taking them on their own. Researchers now believe each one boosts the effect of the other on brain functions such as attention span and working memory. Morning pick-me-up: Scientists found taking caffeine and sugar at the same time boosted the brain's performance more than taking them on their own The findings come from brain scans carried out on 40 volunteers who were tested after they had coffee with sugar, coffee without sugar, sugar on its own or just plain water. The results, published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, suggest sugar-sweetened coffee may be the best way to prepare the brain for a busy day ahead. But it’s likely that coffee lovers who do not take sugar will get the same benefits from enjoying a sugary snack with their drink. According to the British Coffee Association, UK consumers drink approximately 70million cups of coffee a day. More than half add sugar. It is well known that caffeine is a stimulant which works on the brain and can combat drowsiness and fatigue. Previous studies have even suggested three cups of a coffee a day can significantly reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, possibly by triggering a chain reaction in the brain that prevents the damage done by the disease. It’s also well known that glucose, a type of sugar, is the main fuel which brain cells need to function properly. Researchers believe coffee and sugar boosts the effect of the other on brain functions But the latest research indicates the two complement each other when it comes to bolstering the brain’s performance. Researchers performed MRI scans on patients’ brains as they carried out a standard task designed to check their attention span and working memory. The tests were performed after they had consumed each of the drinks. Results showed that when the volunteers drank coffee with sugar there was reduced activity in the bilateral parietal cortex and the left prefrontal cortex - the two parts of the brain responsible for attention and memory. But while activity levels dropped, the brain’s performance did not. Researchers said this shows the brain operates more efficiently when it has had a caffeine and sugar boost. ‘The two substances improve cognitive performance by increasing the efficiency of the two areas of the brain responsible for sustained attention and working memory,’ said researcher Dr Josep Serra Grabulosa. ‘The brain is more efficient under the combined effect of the two substances, since it needs fewer resources to produce the same level of performance than when volunteers took only caffeine, glucose or water.' http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1333202/Drinking-coffee-sugar-boosts-brain-performance.html