Could Caffeine Pills Boost Long-Term Memory?

Could a new caffeine pill boost the brain's ability to consolidate long-term memories?

According to lead study author Dr. Michael Yassa of Johns Hopkins University, he notes that caffeine has not only shown to be able to boost working memory and attention, but also helps in the processing of certain thoughts and feelings.

"We've always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects, but its particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans," he said, via a press release. "We report for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours."

Yassa and colleagues examined a number of volunteers via a memorization experiment. The subjects did not regularly consume caffeinated products, but were given a caffeine pill or a placebo five minutes after studying a series of images. Following a 24-hour period, they were shown a sequence of images and asked to determine whether each slide was "new," "old," or "similar," to one's they had already seen.

Researchers found that the group who received caffeine pills had an easier time identifying "similar" images compared to the group who received placebos.

"Almost all prior studies administered caffeine before the study session, so if there is an enhancement, it's not clear if it's due to caffeine's effects on attention, vigilance, focus or other factors," Yassa explained, via the release. "By administering caffeine after the experiment, we rule out all of these effects and make sure that if there is an enhancement, it's due to memory."

Though researchers detect that caffeine is responsible for this enhancement, they note that the next step is to determine underlying brain mechanisms due to it.

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Nature Neuroscience.