![]() “In simple words, the subjects were more ready for action and alert to external stimuli after having coffee,” co-author and neuroscientist at Jaume I University Maria Picó-Pérez said in a statement. This increase did not occur when the participants only took caffeine, which the researchers say that this means if you want to feel not just alert, but also ready to go, caffeine alone won’t do it. ![]() ![]() These parts of the brain are involved in working memory, cognitive control, and goal-directed behavior. ![]() However, drinking coffee increased the connectivity in the higher visual network and the right executive control network. This indicates that consuming either substance made more people prepared to transition from the restful nature of sleep and waking up to working on the tasks of the day. The connectivity in the default mode network decreased after drinking coffee and after taking caffeine. They thought they’d see it in the networks of the brain linked to the prefrontal cortex–where executive memory happens–and the default mode network, which is involved in introspection and self-reflection. Initially, the team expected that the fMRI scans would show that those who drank coffee had a higher integration in two parts of the brain because of coffee’s known neurochemical events. These scans are similar to traditional MRI’s, but they examine how the brain functions and its activities. The participants were asked to relax and let their minds wander during the fMRI scans. One can was before taking caffeine, or consuming a standardized cup of coffee, and the other scan was 30 minutes after. They then interviewed the participants and performed two brief functional MRI (fMRI) scans. In the study, the team recruited participants who drank at least one cup of coffee per day and asked them to not eat or drink caffeinated beverages for at least three hours before the study. “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 mechanism.” “There is a common expectation that coffee increases alertness and psychomotor functioning,” study co-author and University of Minho neuroscientist Nuno Sousa said in a statement. This study looked at coffee drinkers to better understand if this wakefulness depends on the properties of the caffeine itself, or if it has to do with the experience of that first deliciously brewed sip. Most coffee drinkers say their morning cup of joe makes them feel more alert and efficient due to its caffeine. To say that it’s impossible to function before that first cup of coffee in the morning is borderline clichè, but are those beans really doing the work we think it is to perk us up? A study published June 28 in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience by a team based in Portugal found that the experience of consuming coffee may act a bit like the placebo when it comes to making coffee drinkers feel ready to tackle the day. Functional MRI scans take a look at what a morning cup of coffee does to our brains.
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