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Kitchen Table Kibitzing~7/1/23: It's not just the caffeine [1]

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Date: 2023-07-01

Most of us who regularly engage in the morning ritual of preparing and drinking a cup (or in my case, 3 or 4 cups) of coffee on a daily basis don’t spend a lot of time ruminating over its

neurobiological implications. The experience of drinking the first cup of coffee in the morning is so routine that its effects are usually taken for granted. But before the actual effects of the caffeine are felt — even as the first sips of coffee are consumed -- there is a short period of time where we anticipate its ultimate outcome; we essentially feel the results that we consciously attribute to the caffeine before it can possibly be affecting us (as some are aware, this phenomenon can occur in the consumption of other substances as well).

An international group of scientists (most of whom hale from Portugal) has managed to relate (in a peer reviewed study) this phenomenon to an actual physical change in brain activity through what’s called an fMRI scan (similar to a traditional MRI but geared to recognizing and charting brain activity).

As reported by Laura Baisas, for Popular Science:

Most coffee drinkers say their morning cup of joe makes them feel more alert and efficient due to its caffeine. 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. 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. They then interviewed the participants and performed two brief functional MRI (fMRI) scans. One scan was before taking caffeine, or consuming a standardized cup of coffee, and the other scan was 30 minutes after. The participants were asked to relax and let their minds wander during the fMRI scans.

As Baisas reports, the researchers expected the results to be the same for the participants, one group which took the caffeine pill, the other which drank actual coffee. The study specifically examined “the prefrontal cortex–where executive memory happens–and the default mode network, which is involved in introspection and self-reflection:” two distinct areas of the brain. And indeed, in one of those areas the default mode network (or DFN) the results were the same between the two groups, showing higher connectivity. This means “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.”

But those who actually drank coffee experienced a different level of connectivity “in the higher visual network and the right executive control network.” As Baisas explains, “these parts of the brain are involved in working memory, cognitive control, and goal-directed behavior.” As Baisas explains, what this signifies is that caffeine alone will make you alert, but if you want to “do something” with that alertness, you’re better off actually drinking coffee.

As explained in a statement by the study’s authors:

“Acute coffee consumption decreased the functional connectivity between brain regions of the default mode network, a network that is associated with self-referential processes when participants are at rest,” said Dr Maria Picó-Pérez of Jaume I University, first author. “The functional connectivity was also decreased between the somatosensory/motor networks and the prefrontal cortex, while the connectivity in regions of the higher visual and the right executive control network was increased after drinking coffee. In simple words, the subjects were more ready for action and alert to external stimuli after having coffee.” “Taking into account that some of the effects that we found were reproduced by caffeine, we could expect other caffeinated drinks to share some of the effects,” added Picó-Pérez. “However, others were specific for coffee drinking, driven by factors such as the particular smell and taste of the drink, or the psychological expectation associated with consuming that drink.”

Put simply, the “experience” of drinking coffee appears to trigger a response even absent the caffeine (which may explain why people still experience a “waking” and motivational effect even while drinking decaffeinated coffee).

However, (there’s always a “but,” when it comes to scientific research), according to Neuroscience News, another factor could be at work here.

There is also a hypothesis that the benefits coffee-drinkers claim could be due to the relief of withdrawal symptoms, which this study did not test.

Either way, it appears that if you’re a seasoned coffee drinker, there’s nothing that’s going to compare with that first cup.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/7/1/2178717/-Kitchen-Table-Kibitzing-7-1-23-It-s-not-just-the-caffeine

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