Getting through a serious amount of caffeine each day could put the brakes on the brain’s ability to rewire itself.
Researchers analyzed brain signals associated with learning and lodging memories in 20 individuals, uncovering surprising details and challenging assumptions that caffeine promotes plasticity. Chronic caffeine use could limit learning
Thanks to its ability to block adenosine, a signaling chemical in the brain which helps us feel sleepy at the right time, caffeine has a reputation for giving us an alertness boost.
A total of 16 people who drank between one and five caffeinated drinks a day and four people who barely touched caffeine were subjected to a brain stimulation process designed to mimic a readiness to learn in the brain, called repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation or rTMS.
The relationship between caffeine and health is already rather complicated: it’s been shown to have both positive and negative effects in previous research, from potentially protecting against dementia to perhaps increasing diabetes risk.