Science proves that green tea enhances memory

(scienceinfo.net) - Green tea is believed to have many positive effects on health. Now, researchers at Basel University have given the first evidence of the benefits of green tea extract to enhance cognitive functions, especially in working memory.

The Swiss findings promise clinical applications for the treatment of cognitive impairments in mental disorders such as dementia. The scholarly journal Psychopharmacology published the results of the study.

Previously, the main ingredients of green tea were carefully studied in cancer studies. Recently, scientists are also investigating the positive effects of this drink on the human brain. Various studies have been able to link green tea with beneficial effects on cognitive ability. However, the mechanisms behind the increased awareness of green tea on human brains have not been clarified.

Better memory

In a new study, the research groups of Professor Christoph Beglinger from Basel University Hospital and Professor Stefan Borgwardt from Psychiatric University Clinics have found that green tea extract increases the efficiency of brain connections, meaning is a causal effect of an area of ​​the brain that is more active than other areas.

The effect on connection also leads to an improvement in the current cognitive ability. Test subjects demonstrated the ability to perform better working memory tasks after receiving green tea extract.

In the study, healthy male volunteers were given a beverage containing several grams of green tea extract before they performed working memory tasks. The researchers then analyzed the effect of drinking water containing green tea extract on the volunteers' brain activity by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRI shows an increased connection between the parietal cortex and the prefrontal cortex.

These neuronal findings correlate with improvements in the performance of the volunteer's memory tasks.'Our findings suggest that green tea may increase the short-term neuronal plasticity of the brain , ' Borgwardt said.

Clinical suggestions

The research results show promising clinical suggestions: Modeling the effective connection between the frontal and parietal regions of the brain in working memory can help evaluate the effectiveness of green tea, in response Treatment of cognitive impairment in neuropsychiatric disorders such as dementia.