Wake Up and smell the coffee to jog your memory

Wake Up and smell the coffee to jog your memory

If you're unable to concentrate and suffer from frequent memory lapses, a cup of coffee is just what you need! According to the recently announced findings of a study done by the Innsbruck Medical University in Austria, caffeine, the chemical that imbues coffee with its stimulating powers, has also been found to enhance memory and attentiveness.

The Austrian scientists observed that 100 milligrams of caffeine, which corresponds to about 2 cups of coffee, triggered heightened activity in parts of the brain that are responsible for short-term memory and attention.

The research team led by Dr. Florian Koppelstatter administered 100 milligrams of caffeine mixed with water followed by a placebo of plain water to 15 males in a controlled environment. The test subjects underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and were quizzed to assess their working memory skills, once following caffeine consumption and the second time after drinking the placebo.

Speaking at a meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Koppelstatter said, faster reaction times along with a better performance overall was noticed when the test was done post caffeine consumption as compared to when the placebo was consumed. Caffeine has been proved to have "definite effects on short-term memory," the scientist averred.

Mind you, this surely does not mean that you go about quaffing 'the world's most popular beverage' with a vengeance as Dr. Kopplestatter says, "we still need to learn more about caffeine's effect on mental resources."