Neuroscientists Say Coffee May Actually Restore Brain Circuits Hurt by Lack of Sleep |
Neuroscientists Discover Coffee Can Actually ‘Restore’ Brain Circuits Hurt by Lack of Sleep
Researchers discovered that caffeine can protect and even restore the brain circuits responsible for social memory—like remembering someone you met yesterday.
BY AMAYA NICHOLE, NEWS WRITER
Researchers have found that your morning cup of coffee may do more than kickstart your day, it could also shield your brain from the memory-erasing effects of sleep deprivation.
It’s been long recognized that poor sleep can bring a host of negative health effects including interfering with memory consolidation—the process of strengthening new memories—but the link between sleep and social memory haven’t been extensively studied before. Social memory is a shared remembrance of the past that binds people together and helps them understand who they are as a community.
“We found that caffeine can reverse these disruptions at both the molecular and behavioral levels. Its ability to do so suggests that caffeine’s benefits may extend beyond simply helping us stay awake,” said Lik-Wei Wong, PhD, a professor of physiology at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS).
In a recent study, NUS researchers found that the coffee can protect against and reverse memory deficits brought on by sleep deprivation in mice. As they tested a mouse’s ability to recognize another mouse they’d seen before, the researchers specifically focused on the CA2 region of the brain’s hippocampus because it’s known to be important in social memory.
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As predicted, mice who were deliberately kept awake proved much worse at identifying other mice they’d previously encountered. However, the group of mice were given steady doses of caffeine for a week before being sleep deprived, there wasn’t the same poor performance in terms of social memory.
The analysis carried out by the researchers showed that sleep deprivation increased brain signaling relating to a chemical called adenosine, which both encourages sleep and—as shown in other mouse studies—may dial down memory-making circuits.
“Sleep deprivation does not just make you tired. It selectively disrupts important memory circuits,” said Wong. “We found that caffeine can reverse these disruptions at both the molecular and behavioural levels. Its ability to do so suggests that caffeine’s benefits may extend beyond simply helping us stay awake.”