Science

Caffeine strengthens memory

It is a well known fact that caffeine keeps billions alert and awake every morning all around the world. But the affects it has on your memory have not yet fully been studied. Researchers in John Hopkins found that caffeine can enhance certain memories for up to 24 hours after the initial dose. One researcher was quoted with saying “We report for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours.” The test was a double blind study using a 200 milligram caffeine pill and placebos. Test subjects were asked to remember details about specific images presented to them 1 day before. The properly caffeinated people did markedly better. One caveat about the images was that they were very similar but different. The brain’s ability to recognize the difference between two similar but not identical items, called pattern separation, reflects a deeper level of memory retention, the researchers said. This specific type of memory was what was enhanced with caffeine. So drink up and start remembering the names of those two blondes in accounting.