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Green tea extract enhances parieto-frontal connectivity during working memory processing
According to certain theories, green tea extract may improve cognitive function, which has positive therapeutic ramifications. However, it is still uncertain what brain processes underlie this alleged enhancement of cognition by green tea extract. This double-blind, counterbalanced, within-subject study by Schmidt et al. (2014) aimed to determine if green tea extract consumption modifies effective brain connection during working memory processing and if such connectivity measures are correlated with task performance. While undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, 12 healthy volunteers were given a green tea extract-containing milk-whey-based soft drink or a milk-whey-based soft drink without green tea as the control. Analysis of the results demonstrated a working memory-induced modification of connection from the middle frontal gyrus to the right superior parietal lobule enhancement by green tea extract. Notably, the degree of the increase in parietal-frontal connection caused by green tea was positively linked to improved task performance. By pointing to alterations in the short-term plasticity of parietal-frontal brain connections, the authors demonstrate the first supporting evidence for green tea’s purportedly positive effect on cognitive performance, particularly on working memory processing at the neural system level. Assessment of the effectiveness of green tea for the treatment of cognitive deficits in mental diseases like dementia may be aided by modeling the effective connection of frontal and parietal brain areas during working memory processing. [NPID: Cognition, working memory, green tea extract, brain activity, effective connectivity, dynamic causal modeling]
Year: 2014
