Coffee gives brain 'special' boost, even beyond caffeine content

The energising effect that individuals experience from consuming a cup of coffee cannot be replicated solely by consuming plain caffeine a new study has revealedAccording to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience plain caffeine only partially reproduced the effects of drinking a cup of coffee reports The IndependentAside from boosting alertness in the brain coffee also affects working memory and goaldirected behaviour in the brainldquoThere is a common expectation that coffee increases alertness and psychomotor functioning When you get to understand better the mechanisms underlying a biological phenomenon you open pathways for exploring the factors that may modulate it and even the potential benefits of that mechanismrdquo study coauthor Nuno Sousa explainedBefore the study participants who drank at least one cup of coffee per day were asked to refrain from eating or drinking caffeinated beverages for three hours Participants then underwent two brief MRI brain scans one before and one after drinking either caffeine or a standardised cup of coffee to collect social and demographic dataAccording to researchers drinking both coffee and caffeine use reduced neuronal connection in the brainrsquos default mode network which is involved in introspection and selfreflection processesResearchers said this shift could indicate that people are more prepared to transition from resting to working on tasksHowever they mentioned that drinking coffee may also improve connectivity in the brains more advanced nerve network that controls vision as well as other areas involved in working memory cognitive control and goaldirected behaviourHowever such effects were not found when participants only took caffeine the study showedldquoAcute coffee consumption decreased the functional connectivity between brain regions of the default mode network a network that is associated with selfreferential processes when participants are at restrdquo study coauthor Maria PicoacutePeacuterez saidldquoThe subjects were more ready for action and alert to external stimuli after having coffeerdquo she addedAdditionally the new findings suggested that even though caffeinated drinks share some of the same effects as coffee there are still some benefits associated with drinking coffee including the smell and taste of that drink as well as the psychological expectations associated with drinking that drinkAlso Read From cinnamon to orange this monsoon brew unique and original coffeesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever