Caffeine is a bitter white crystalline xanthine alkaroid that acts as a psychoactive stimulant drug. It can have positive and negative effects on various aspects of memory.
Video Effect of caffeine on memory
Short-term memory
The effects of caffeine on short-term memory (STM) are still controversial. The findings are inconsistent, as many caffeine effects occasionally impair short-term memory and work, while other studies show enhanced effects. Increasing the capacity of STM and working memory seems to have only a positive impact on everyday life. Increasing our memory capacity will produce more information for a long time and encode information from STM to long-term memory. However, the research consensus shows inhibitory effects, reducing short-term memory capacity and working memory.
Auditory effect in short-term memory
The effects of caffeine in memory are also investigated in the auditory system. Auditory-Verbal Learning Test is a memory test that assesses the recall of the list of words on a single and double test provided through the subject's auditory system. Caffeine subjects recall fewer words than control subjects, and caffeine subjects showed a greater deficit in remembering the middle to the end of the list.
Work memory effect
Caffeine has been considered to have several benefits when testing the working memory by investigating the tip of the tongue effect, the idea being that, if caffeine is present in a person's system, then one will tend to experience the tip of the tongue effect, or feel familiar words but can not immediately recall it. Previous research has shown that tongue symptoms can be corrected with caffeine use, and caffeine can help a person to more quickly take the word they are looking for. Current research refutes previous research as accredited proof of phonological loops in memory work memory as opposed to caffeine increasing the capacity of STM. One study found that there were more correct tongue responses with the caffeine group than the control group. The finding is not because caffeine improves performance; it finds a boost from the phonological-response system. When trying to shape the tip of the tongue effect, subjects are given words that are similar to the target word; As a result, priming said the target is reached faster without regard to caffeine intake.
Time-day effect
Short-term memory is thought to be affected differently throughout the day when caffeine is ingested; in the morning, the performance of STM will be different from at the end of the day. Since the effects of caffeine fade, there will be some effect on the STM. Three caffeine intake groups (low, medium, and high) were compared over four hours of daylight (01:00, 07:00, 13:00, 19:00). People with low caffeine intake had decreased performance later in life, compared with moderate and high caffeine intake. The results are interesting but do not definitively determine that caffeine damages or improves short-term memory compared to the control group.
Maps Effect of caffeine on memory
Long-term memory
Caffeine has been shown to have positive, negative, and no effects on long-term memory. When studying the effects of this and any medication, the potential for ethical restraint in human research procedures may lead researchers to conduct research involving animal subjects other than human subjects.
Researchers have found that long-term consumption of low-dose caffeine slows hippocampus-dependent learning and impairs long-term memory in mice. Consumption of caffeine for 4 weeks also significantly reduced the hippocampal neurogenesis compared with controls during the trial. The conclusion is that long-term caffeine consumption may inhibit hippocampal-dependent learning and memory by partial inhibition of the hippocampal neurogenesis.
Caffeine-positive effects on long-term memory
The positive effects of caffeine on long-term memory have been shown in a study that analyzes the habit of consuming caffeine or drinking coffee in addition to consuming other substances. The effect on cognitive processes is observed by performing many cognitive tasks. Words are presented and pending withdrawals are measured. Increased delayed recall is indicated by individuals with moderate to high intake of caffeine intake (mean 710 mg/week) because more words are drawn compared to those with low caffeine intake (mean 178 mg/week). Therefore, improved performance in long-term memory is indicated by an increase in caffeine intake due to better storage or retrieval. A similar study that assessed the effects of caffeine on cognition and mood results in a delayed recall increase with caffeine intake. Dose-response relationships are seen as individuals able to remember more words after a certain period of time with increased caffeine. Increased long-term memory with caffeine intake was also seen in the study using mice and water mazes. In this study, the completion of training sessions before conducting various trials in finding the platforms in the waterbeds was observed. Caffeine is consumed by rats before and after the training sessions. No caffeine consumption effect before the training session; However, a larger effect is seen at low doses soon afterward. In other words, rats are able to find the platform faster when caffeine is consumed after the training session than before. This means that memory acquisition is not affected, while memory retention increases.
Negative effects of caffeine on long-term memory
Caffeine has been shown to have a negative effect on long-term memory. In a study with rats, step-through passive-avoidance tasks were used, and the ability to remember assigned tasks. Caffeine is administered before duty in various doses, with low dose to start (11.55 mg/kg) and higher dose in the end (92.4 mg/kg). (To put it in perspective, one 8 oz cup of coffee contains 95-200 mg of caffeine.) A tool includes a box with a lamp connected to a dark box with an electric floor. When a rat enters a dark box, a shock is released from the floor. The next day, the rat enters the equipment again and completes the same task. Subjects that are not in the dark box for 180 seconds are considered to have placed the task in long-term memory, recalling the task from the previous day. However, caffeine given at higher doses resulted in a decrease in retention time from the task from 180 seconds to 105 seconds. Low dose of caffeine has little effect on retention time. Therefore, in this study, linear regression analysis showed that higher caffeine doses impaired long-term memory, suggesting a dose-response relationship between caffeine intake and retention time. Ultimately, long-term memory and caffeine intake display a variety of outcomes, both in humans and in animals.
No caffeine effect on long-term memory
Alternatively, other studies show that caffeine intake has no effect on long-term memory. This is stated in a study in which caffeine or placebo was assigned to multiple subjects at two different times. Some subjects received caffeine first, while others received placebo. All participants are shown a list of words that will eventually be tested. Two days later, the same process is repeated, with a random distribution of two substances. This was also observed in a study involving a delayed withdrawal assessment using a verbal memory test. Two studies were completed using different control drinks containing caffeine.
Age difference
Effects on young adults
Effects for this age group (15-25) are the most varied and contradictory. On the one hand, the effects of caffeine seem to destroy short-term memory, including working memory, while the effect is somewhat positive for long-term memory (for example, you remember something better a few days later if you drank caffeine during coding as well as retrieval, compared to no caffeine ). Many of the effects reported are for subjects who are not regular caffeine consumers. Consumers of ordinary caffeine, on the other hand, only show a positive effect when it comes to memory tasks. An important factor to consider is that there is considerable daily caffeine consumption prior to the study, and this could have a significant effect on task performance because not everyone is on the same baseline. Other studies use a much larger set of subjects and find that age-related differences are minimal for attention memory, but in the long run, regular caffeine consumption is beneficial for younger subjects.
Effect on middle age
As stated earlier, the most prominent caffeine effect in memory appears to be on middle-aged subjects (26-64). None of the studies provide a reason why this group will be most affected, but one can hypothesize that due to cognitive decline due to age, caffeine has a strong effect on brain chemistry (although this will show the older the person, the stronger the effect of caffeine). Furthermore, this age group is most likely the largest caffeine consumer. The main study reporting these findings suggests that in the intake of low doses of acute low-dose caffeine, working memory has little effect on them in this age group, while no effect is observed for younger or older subjects. The authors conclude that larger doses may be needed to produce results supported by previous literature, and this is the way for further research. In addition, it is said that caffeine consumption generally helps cognitive performance for this age group, as long as one does not exceed the recommended dose of 300 mg per day.
Effects on the elderly
In older adults, memory is usually best in the morning and gradually declines throughout the day. Those who consumed caffeine in the morning showed much better memory, both short and long term than those who took the placebo, especially in the afternoon, where memory and attention may be most important for day-to-day functioning for the elderly. This is further supported by a study showing that adults over age 65 who regularly consume caffeine in the morning are much more alert and functioning at higher cognitive levels throughout the day. The authors conclude that it is beneficial for older adults to regularly consume an average dose of caffeine in the morning to improve cognitive performance and alertness in the afternoon. Again, a person should not exceed the recommended dose of about 300 mg per day, otherwise memory performance decreases due to excessive consumption.
Conclusion
The literature shows mixed results. Overall regular caffeine consumption has a positive effect on short-term and long-term memory only when taken regularly. Consumption should be daily, in moderate doses, and at almost the same time, regardless of age.
Gender differences
Many studies provide support for the idea that caffeine has a different effect on men than women when it comes to memory. These differences can be seen through a number of different types of memory (short-term, long-term, etc.), with various theories explaining these different effects.
Short-term memory
Caffeine has been shown to have a damaging effect on women (but not men) in short-term word-list memory tests. One prevailing theory that aims to explain this gender difference identifies estrogen levels in the body as an important factor related to the effects of caffeine on memory performance. As a result, a woman's menstrual cycle (which affects overall estrogen levels in the body) may play a role in modifying the effects of caffeine on memory. Following this theory, researchers tested women within the first 5 days of their menstrual cycle and found that caffeine has a facilitative effect on women's performance on short-term memory tests. Specific findings in this study relating to male memory performance reveal that at lower doses, caffeine has a destructive effect; but at higher doses, no damage is shown. It is also interesting to note that the difference in test speed (slowly or rapidly delivered words) in males serves as a modifying factor in the effects of caffeine: higher doses are aided in recall by faster wording and dosage the lower is assisted in remembering more slowly. presentation of words. These findings are based solely on a small set of data collected from selective studies on this topic, so further research in this area will be needed to gain a clearer understanding of the different effects of caffeine on short-term memory of men and women.
Long-term memory
Studies limited to long-term memory and sex differences show no significant difference in caffeine effects between men and women. Gender differences have not been fully discussed in the literature on the effects of caffeine on memory. Since most studies do not report significant sex differences in the field of memory studies, it is reasonable to assume that there is no strong evidence to support sex differences in the effects of caffeine on memory. Further specific research into gender differences will be needed to fully understand the impact of this popular drug on its users.
Withdrawal
Caffeine withdrawal has been known for over a hundred years. However, there are still many unknowns that exist because only in the last decade have been scientifically researched. Currently, there is no known correlation between caffeine withdrawal and memory effect. There are many potential reasons for the lack of conclusions made on this issue. The main speculation is that caffeine affects many parts of the central nervous system, meaning that there is more than one mechanism that is activated by caffeine. Thus it is necessary to inspect multiple activation pathways to determine the specific effects of caffeine on the nervous system and consequently memory.
Interesting physiological effects of caffeine
Although there is no direct evidence that caffeine termination affects memory, there are many other connections made that provide some insights into what memory effects are possible. For example, there is evidence to suggest that attention decreases when caffeine is stopped. A study of school-age children, who were regular caffeine users, went 24 hours without caffeine consumption, and the results showed a decrease in performance in response time tasks that required attention. Research also shows that regular caffeine users experience headaches and fatigue during withdrawal. One study had a group of regular caffeine users divided into three groups. Each group is defined as the amount of time to avoid caffeinated products, for 1.5 hours, 13 hours, or 7 days. The study found that, at various levels, all participants experienced increased fatigue, drowsiness, and headaches. A third study also found that among a group of participants receiving placebo, anxiety was experienced by participants who previously used caffeine. This will imply that participants will also experience a deficit in memory capacity because attention and alertness have a positive impact on the amount of information that can be stored in short and long term memory, and anxiety will be a disadvantage to memory retention.
Duration of caffeine avoidance
There is also evidence to reflect the duration of caffeine avoidance periods in relation to the significance of withdrawal symptoms. In the aforementioned research, the strongest withdrawal effect was seen among participants who underwent a 13-hour evasion period, followed by a seven-day avoidance group. This will imply that the memory effect will be at its strongest point in about 13 hours and will continue to be affected for the following days. However, memory will not be affected in the first few hours. This seems legitimate given that most daily caffeine users need to consume caffeine as soon as they wake up from sleep. For example, coffee drinkers were given caffeine or placebo after last night's caffeine abstinence. This study shows that ordinary coffee drinkers become less alert and more anxious than non-coffee drinkers when receiving a placebo. Coinciding with these findings, another study in 2001 found dose-related improvements in cognitive performance for daily caffeine users. This means that coffee drinkers experience the same positive effects every day they consume coffee.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia