Your Morning Coffee May Be a Placebo
来源: https://www.newsweek.com
While many people staunchly believe that they can't start the morning without a good old cup of coffee, scientists have found that our brains might be lying to us about how much we need that coffee.
虽然许多人坚定地认为，如果没有一杯好的咖啡，他们就无法开启新的一天，但科学家们发现，我们的大脑可能在欺骗我们，我们根本不知道自己需要多少咖啡。
The feeling of alertness experienced by people starting the day with a cup of coffee might actually be more of a placebo effect related to the experience of drinking the coffee, rather than only due to the effects of the caffeine itself, according to a paper published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
发表在《行为神经科学前沿》(Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience)杂志上的一篇论文称，人们早上喝上一杯咖啡所带来的清醒的感觉，实际上可能更多的是一种与喝咖啡的体验有关的安慰剂效应，而不仅仅是由于咖啡因本身的作用。
In the paper, the authors describe how they performed MRI scans on people who usually drank at least one coffee per day. They initially took the MRI scans after the participants had refrained from eating or drinking caffeinated beverages for at least three hours, and then again after they had drank coffee, or instead, taken caffeine.
在论文中，作者描述了他们如何对通常每天至少喝一杯咖啡的人进行核磁共振扫描。在参与者至少三个小时不吃或不喝含咖啡因的饮料后，他们首先进行了核磁共振扫描，然后在他们喝了咖啡或服用了咖啡因后再次进行了扫描。
Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant, binding to adenosine receptors that usually trigger drowsiness, encouraging alertness, and allowing dopamine and other stimulating neurotransmitters to act, increasing brain activity. As a result, consuming caffeine can aid in increased energy and the ability to concentrate.
咖啡因是一种中枢神经系统兴奋剂，可以与腺苷受体结合，腺苷受体通常会引起嗜睡，提高警觉性，并使多巴胺和其他刺激神经递质发挥作用，增强大脑的活动。因此，摄入咖啡因有助于增强精力和集中注意力。
The results of the MRI revealed that the connectivity of the default mode network was indeed decreased after drinking coffee and after taking caffeine, showing that consuming both caffeine and coffee made it easier for people to wake up and feel alert.
核磁共振成像结果显示，饮用咖啡和服用咖啡因后，默认模式网络的连通性确实降低了，这表明饮用咖啡因和咖啡更容易使人清醒并感到警觉。
Maria Picó-Pérez, first author of the paper and neuropsychology researcher at Jaume I University, said in the statement: "the subjects were more ready for action and alert to external stimuli after having coffee."
该论文的第一作者、海梅一世大学的神经心理学研究员Maria Picó-Pérez在声明中表示：“喝咖啡后，受试者更愿意行动，对外界刺激更警觉。”
They also found, however, that those who drank coffee also had increased connectivity in the higher visual network and the right executive control network, something that didn't happen in those who only took caffeine. This indicates that these parts of the brain, involved in working memory, cognitive control, and goal-directed behavior, require the experience of drinking coffee, not just the caffeine.
然而，他们还发现，喝咖啡的人在高级视觉网络和右侧执行控制网络中的连通性也有所提高，而那些只喝咖啡因的人则没有这种情况。这表明，大脑中参与工作记忆、认知控制和目标导向行为的这些部分需要喝咖啡的体验，而不仅仅是咖啡因。
"Taking into account that some of the effects that we found were reproduced by caffeine, we could expect other caffeinated drinks to share some of the effects," Picó-Pérez said. "However, others were specific for coffee drinking, driven by factors such as the particular smell and taste of the drink, or the psychological expectation associated with consuming that drink."
Picó-Pérez说：“考虑到我们发现的一些效果是由咖啡因重现的，我们可以预期其他含咖啡因的饮料也会有同样的效果。”“然而，另一些影响则是饮用咖啡所特有的，这些影响因素包括咖啡的特殊气味和口感，或者与饮用咖啡有关的心理预期。”
