Morning coffee: Does it really wake you up or is it a placebo effect? the answer

Caffeine may play less of a role than we think in ‘waking us up’

the coffee consumption It is widespread and often justified by habitual drinkers More attention And Cognitive and motor performance. However, it remains unclear whether these perceptions have a neurobiological relevance. Thus, to try to better understand the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, scientistsMinho University in Braga, Portugal, conducted a specific study. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), they analyzed data from a group of people who drank coffee regularly and compared it to a group that consumed caffeine; And the discovery was very interesting. maybe Force activation From coffee also comes fromThe placebo effect.

MRI

To conduct the study, scientists recruited participants who drink the least A cup of coffee a day Have them scan it Functional magnetic resonance imaging 30 minutes before and after drinking coffee or consuming caffeine. They interviewed the participants to collect personal data and also asked them to refrain from consuming or drinking caffeinated beverages for at least three hours prior to the experiment. During the ringing, the participants were asked to relax. The results showed that coffee consumption reduces the activity of the so-called network default mode background (areas of the brain active when the mind is at rest, which are deactivated when we focus on a specific task) as well Somatosensory/motor networks Based on frontal cortex (sensory perception, motor control of the body, planning, decisions and emotion control). This seems to indicate that consuming both substances — coffee or caffeine — makes people more predisposed to it Transition from rest to work. but, Only coffee Increase the activity of areas responsible for executive control and problem solving. Caffeine, however, is not.

See also  In Calabria the World Conference on Cyber ​​Science: for the first time in Italy

More caffeine

So the study separates the neurochemical effects of caffeine fromCoffee drinking experience. The results show that the connectivity between regions of vision and executive control increases Just after drinking coffeeAnd not the caffeine. In other words, coffee makes people more willing to act and more attentive to external stimuli; But this does not happen with caffeine alone or other drinks that contain it. This leads us to hypothesize that the stimulant effect is due to other specific interactions of coffee consumption, and are influenced by factors such as Strange smell and taste olExpect myself who takes it. In short, a The placebo effect.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *