Caffeine May Help Enhance Long-term Memory

Many people say they cannot start their day without first having a cup of coffee or tea. 

许多人说，如果不先喝杯咖啡或茶，他们就无法开始新的一天。

People say these drinks help them think clearly and feel more awake. This is because of caffeine, a substance found in some plants. Caffeine helps to give a jump start to the nervous system. 

人们说这些饮料有助于他们清晰地思考，让他们更清醒。这是因为咖啡因，一种在一些植物中发现的物质。咖啡因有助于神经系统的启动。

Now, a report says it may also improve long-term memory. The report was published earlier this year in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

现在，一份报告说它还可以改善长期记忆。这份报告今年早些时候发表在《自然神经科学》杂志上。

Mike Yassa is a neurobiology professor at the University of California, Irvine. He and other researchers wanted to know if caffeine could improve  what they called memory consolidation. 

迈克·雅萨是加州大学欧文分校的神经生物学教授。他和其他研究人员想知道咖啡因是否能改善他们所谓的记忆巩固。

They asked a group of individuals to learn something new. Then, the same people were given caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee, tea and chocolate. Professor Yassa explains. 

他们要求一群人学习一些新的东西。然后，同样的人被给予咖啡因，咖啡、茶和巧克力中的有效成分。亚萨教授解释道。

"So after you learn anything, it takes some time for that memory to strengthen and become resistant to forgetting. And over the first 24 hours is actually where most of the forgetting happens. So that is where we wanted to intervene with caffeine and see if we can help reduce this forgetting to some extent." 

“所以，当你学会了什么之后，你的记忆力需要一段时间来增强，并变得不容易忘记。在最初的24小时里，大部分的遗忘都发生在这里。因此，我们希望通过咖啡因进行干预，看看能否在一定程度上帮助减少这种遗忘。”

He and the other researchers worked with a group of 160 people who were caffeine-free. On the first day, all the subjects were shown pictures of everyday objects. 

他和其他研究人员与160名不含咖啡因的人一起工作。第一天，所有受试者都被展示日常用品的图片。

They were asked to identify whether the pictures could be found inside the house or outdoors. Some of the subjects were then given a caffeine pill. The others were given a placebo - a pill containing an inactive substance.

他们被要求确认这些照片是在房子里还是在户外。然后给一些受试者服用咖啡因药片。其他人则服用安慰剂——一种含有非活性物质的药丸。

On the second day, all of the subjects were asked to look at more pictures. Some of the images were exactly like the ones they had seen 24 hours early. But other images were different. 

第二天，所有受试者都被要求看更多的图片。有些照片和他们24小时前看到的一模一样。但其他的图像是不同的。

And a third group of pictures was similar to the first group but a little different. The participants had to decide whether the images they saw were the same or different from the ones on the first day.

第三组图片与第一组相似，但有点不同。参与者必须决定他们看到的图像与第一天的图像是相同还是不同。

Professor Yassa says their answers helped to show the effects of caffeine on memory.

亚萨教授说，他们的答案有助于显示咖啡因对记忆的影响。

"When they actually had to make a memory judgment and say, 'Is this the same item I have seen before or not?' that was a really important bit of information for us. And we find that if they are on caffeine they are much more likely to make the right decision."

“当他们真的要做一个记忆判断，然后说：‘这是我以前见过的同一件东西吗？’这对我们来说是非常重要的一点信息。我们发现，如果他们摄入咖啡因，他们更有可能做出正确的决定。”

He says those who took the caffeine pills had a ten to twelve percent increase in their ability to remember the objects. The amount of caffeine the researchers used in the study was similar to one strong cup of coffee.

他说那些服用咖啡因药片的人记忆物体的能力提高了10%到12%。研究人员在研究中使用的咖啡因量类似于一杯浓咖啡。

Professor Yassa says pills with a little more coffeine also increased memory, but resulted in some participants appearing more nervous.

Yassa教授说，含有更多咖啡因的药片也能增强记忆力，但也会导致一些参与者显得更紧张。