Coffee boosts short term memory

Chicago - A cup of coffee is good for the memory, at least the short term memory, according to research reported today.

In a study of 15 healthy men ages 26 to 47, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) detected significant activity in the brain's memory centers 20 minutes after the men consumed 100 mg of caffeine, according an Austrian study reported at the Radiological Society of North America meeting here.

The activity was significantly greater than men who were imaged after consuming a matched placebo (P<0.05), said Florian Koppelstatter, M.D., of the University Hospital Innsbruck.

He said the fMRI scan detected activity in the anterior cingulate cortex of the brain, which is responsible for some short-term memory functions.

The men, all right-handed, underwent fMRI scans on two days. Half of the men were initially given water that contained a tasteless concentration of 100 mg of caffeine -- about the equivalent of two cups of coffee -- and half were given ordinary water. The groups were crossed over for the second scans.

Dr. Koppelstatter said that fMRI routinely detected activity as participants completed memory tasks during the scan, but caffeine significantly boosted brain function beyond that expected level. In addition to greater activity in the anterior cingulate cortex, men taking caffeine had increased activity in frontal cortex, and the inferior parital cortex. Moreover, since the men were all right handed, the increased activity was greater in the left hemisphere.

Twenty-minutes after consuming the drinks -- a time that Dr.Koppelstatter said was calculated as the caffeine's peak potency time in the brain -- the men underwent fMRI scans. He noted that caffeine's effect diminishes after 45 minutes.

Dr.Koppelstatter said the scans clearly demonstrated that caffeine has a definite impact on short-term memory processes. "This effect takes part in the distinct part of the working memory network that controls attention and concentration."

Michael Brant-Zawadzki, M.D., chairman of the RSNA communications committee and moderator at press conference where Dr. Koppelstatter discussed his research, said the findings will probably not surprise anyone because "we all know that coffee makes us more alert, but now we know how that works."

He said that finding also suggests a possible research target for the development of drugs to improve memory function. "It may be possible to develop drugs like caffeine that can stimulate these same brain regions," he said. -- CNN News

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