Coffee prices are likely to be high for the remainder of the calendar year, with a lack of moisture in Brazil hinting at even longer-term problems, as Nick Peksa reports. This article first appeared in ESM July/August 2022.
It has been recognised for many years that caffeine increases energy metabolism throughout the brain, with its most noticeable effect being increased awareness.
However, scientists have recently observed that caffeine leads to long-lasting changes to the brain. It was discovered that rodents regularly drinking caffeine-infused water were found to experience an overall decrease in the synthesis of proteins involved in metabolism and an increase in those involved in neuronal signalling and plasticity. These changes to their brain cells are believed to boost the activity of genes involved in such processes as memory.
