I believe this may interest you :
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By BBC News Online's Damian Carrington
Researchers in Israel have shown that caffeine makes
existing
brain cells swell and new ones grow.
Dr Menahem Segal, at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot,
told BBC News Online that making the connection between
this growth and better memory and learning capability is
"a
long jump, but it is what we are aiming for".
The scientists grew rat neurones in the laboratory and
then
added caffeine. The brain cells, called dendritic spines
and
taken from a region of the brain called hippocampus, grew
by
33% and new spines formed. The cells returned to their
original shape after an hour or two.
Better learning
"We are studying the spines
because everyone assumes that
they are related to learning and
memory and so intuitively you
would say that the more spines
there are, the better learner you
are," said Dr Segal.
Having shown that the spines
do grow, "the next step, which
we have already begun, is to
see if these cells with larger or
longer spines can learn better,"
he added.
The growing brain cells produced "could be one reason"
for
the potential improvement in memory and learning ability
brought about by drinking caffeine-containing drinks,
such
as tea and coffee.
Increased arousal
But there could be other factors: "We believe you may
have
other effects of caffeine which would help you through a
hard day. Drinking coffee may help improve memory because
of an increased attention and arousal level," said Dr
Segal.
And he calculates that a lot of caffeine is needed to be
sure
of seeing the cell growth effect - about ten cups.
The research is published in the Proceedings of the
National
Academy of Sciences.
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Now that you know that coffee is good do buy it because it will be
good for Brazil also.... :-)
Cheers ,
+----| Joao Paulo de Carvalho |------ +
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+--------| Salvador-Bahia-Brazil |------+
