Over 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed daily throughout the world. It's no doubt that people love coffee, and the research behind this unique concoction only continues to justify the fascination. The effects coffee has on our mental performance have been the subject of extensive research, demonstrating the positive impacts coffee can have on our alertness, motor control, and memory. A new study sponsored by the Institute for Scientific Information on Coffee (ISIC) discovered insights into the connectivity and functional changes within regular coffee drinkers' brains.

The findings concluded that regular coffee drinkers had a reduced degree of connectivity in the right precuneus and the right insular when at rest. This difference improved motor control and alertness, helping them better react to a stimulus than non-coffee drinkers.

This study also found more efficient connectivity patterns in other brain areas, in the cerebellum and between the thalamus and the cerebellum. These connections improve motor control among regular coffee drinkers compared to non-coffee drinkers.

The findings of this study also showed an increase in dynamic activity observed in several cerebellar and subcortical areas of the brain among regular coffee drinkers. These produced effects including reduced mind wandering, increased attention, alertness, arousal, and enhanced learning and memory. All in all, these changes imply an improved ability to focus by stimulating areas of the brain that include the cerebellum, striatum, thalamus, parahippocampus, and the lingual and inferior occipital gyri.

Interestingly, non-coffee drinkers could consume a cup of coffee and experience the structural and connectivity differences observed among regular coffee drinkers, which is a testament to coffee's powerful effects on our mental state.

This research ,conducted by Professor Nuno Sousa of the School of Medicine at the University of Minho, Portugal, and his scientists' team used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This imaging system provided the means to compare the connectivity and structure of the brains of 31 individuals who drink coffee every day and 24 non-coffee drinkers. The scientists tested each of them first while the participants were at rest, while they were performing a task, and just after they had consumed a cup of coffee.

"This is the first time that the effect of regular coffee drinking on the brain's network has been studied in this level of detail. By using fMRI technology, we were able to observe the effect of coffee on the brain's functional connectivity and structure, and the differences between regular coffee drinkers and non-coffee drinkers, in real-time. These findings have – at least in part – helped to provide a mechanistic insight for some of the effects observed in existing research on coffee; such as improved motor control, increased alertness, and benefits to learning and memory."

Nuno Sousa, Professor of School of Medicine, University of Minho

While this may be no surprise to those who love a daily cup (or more!) of coffee, it still amazes us to see the new studies and research capabilities that modern technology provides us only confirm what we know to be true. Coffee makes the world run a little smoother, and here at SunriseCoffeeLA, we want to make the most of every cup!

SOURCE:

www.news-medical.net/news/20210422/Study-provides-mechanistic-insight-into-effects-of-regular-coffee-drinking-on-the-braine28099s-network.aspx