Research caffeine in coffee for Alzheimer's

Regular coffee consumption can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's. The active ingredient caffeine acts according to a study in the same brain region as Alzheimer's.

23/10/2012

Obviously, drinking coffee regularly can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Researchers at the German Research Center Jülich came to this conclusion in a scientific study. The caffeine in coffee works in those areas of the brain that are involved in Alzheimer's disease.

Regular consumption of coffee can apparently reduce the risk of Alzheimer's, according to a recent study. The result is not new, as previous research has found that coffee consumption reduces the risk of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. However, scientists at Forschungszentrum Jülich were able to localize for the first time where the caffeine component in coffee acts in the human brain. The substance is not only contained in coffee, but also in black tea and chocolate.

"Caffeine in tea or coffee is one of the most commonly consumed stimulants in the world," said Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Bauer from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine. Caffeine, however, differs from amphetamines or other intoxicants by the non-existent addictive potential, even if the consumption is made regularly. The stimulants develop caffeine, especially in particularly highly developed brain regions. According to the researcher Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Bauer "show our studies that caffeine works in exactly the brain regions that are also affected in Alzheimer's disease".

Injected by infusion marker and caffeine
In several laboratory experiments, the scientists were able to show "that caffeine displaces an imaging marker called 18F-CPFPX," says Bauer. This effect was exploited by the scientists in the current study. Initially, a total of 15 participating subjects were injected with a special marker whose site of action was identified by positron emission tomography (PET) examination. Afterwards the participants were given different doses of caffeine by infusion. The dosages corresponded to the typical consumption of two to four cups of coffee.

Caffeine leads to nerve cell activity
"The PET images showed that the marker located at a very specific docking point of the nerve cells, the A1 adenosine receptor," said the physician. "Interestingly enough, the amount of average daily caffeine intake, such as two to three cups of coffee, is enough to block about 50 percent of the adenosine receptors. As adenosine normally inhibits nerve cell activity, blocking with caffeine leads to disinhibition, ie activation of nerve cells, "explained Bauer. According to this, caffeine works in the so-called association cortex, which is responsible for complex tasks such as association or evaluation processes in the brain.

Detected mechanism important for further Alzheimer's research
As other studies have already identified a positive effect in reducing the risk of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, the newly gained knowledge about the mechanisms of caffeine "is an important step towards, for example, preventive agents and novel drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. "The study found that caffeine in the brain works where Alzheimer's disease is normally also active. Therefore, future studies should also "explore the molecular mechanisms of protective caffeine use," according to the research center in the journal "Journal of Nuclear Medicine." The study report was also published as the first publication on this platform. (Sb)

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