Caffeine in youth inhibits brain development

Caffeine can slow down brain development and disrupt deep sleep

09/25/2013

When adolescents take caffeine during puberty, brain development may be delayed. This is the result of a study by scientists led by Reto Huber from the Children's Hospital Zurich. The researchers conducted their investigations on rats, but the results were still partially transferable to humans, they write in the specialist magazine "Plos one"..

Caffeine affects the formation and breakdown of synapses in the brain
If you drink a lot of coffee, cola and energy drinks during your puberty, you have to expect a delayed brain development and reduced deep sleep. Caffeine therefore influences the assembly and disassembly of synapses in the brain.

For their study, the researchers around Reto Huber fed pubescent rats with about the same amount of caffeine, equivalent to three to four cups of coffee a day, to humans. They wanted to find out to what extent caffeine consumption influences brain development.

The number of synapses in the brain and the duration of deep sleep increase to puberty and decline in adulthood. If the brain continues to mature in adolescence, many connections would be lost again, according to Huber in a press release from the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). "This is an optimization that probably happens in deep sleep. Important synapses are being expanded, while others are degraded, making the network more efficient and the brain more efficient. "

The scientists found that pubescent rats that consumed caffeine had much more nerve connections than animals that drank only water. Thus, the brain of caffeine rats had developed more slowly. As the SNSF reports, this was also reflected in the behavior of the animals. Because the rats that received the caffeine were shy and careful. Normally, however, as rats grow older, they show contrasting behavior as they become more curious.

"Caffeine consumption during a critical development phase leads to long-lasting effects on sleep and brain development," summarize the researchers in the journal.

Caffeine is safe for children?
In view of these results, according to Huber, the question arises whether caffeine is actually safe for children and adolescents. Although the study was carried out on rats, but there are parallels to the human brain development.

According to the SNSF, caffeine consumption among adolescents has increased by more than 70 percent within 30 years. The largest sales were recorded by the beverage industry in energy drinks. (Ag)