I would like a Grande Iced Starbuck's Doubleshot with classic syrup, 2% and a floater of heavy cream. Each of us probably identifies with a similar version of this refrain. Perhaps it is a Cinnamon Dolce Latte or just a Venti Pike with no room and two Splendas; in any event, much of this nation's morning productivity is undoubtedly fueled by that magical white cup with the green logo.
Beyond the warm fingers wrapped around a cardboard sleeve, beyond the liquid happiness cascading throughout every fiber of our not-fully-awake-yet souls, researchers are finding that the keys to effective treatments for Parkinson's disease may be percolating beneath the surface of that hot cup of joe.
Scientists have found that caffeine, the most widely used drug on the planet, has been linked to improvements in memory and appears to protect against the destruction of brain cells. Several prominent studies have found that people who drank two or more cups of coffee per day were up to 40% less likely to develop Parkinson's. Make mine a Venti!
The well known cognitive benefits of caffeine have prompted researchers to begin looking at the way the brain responds to the chemical and even to produce medications which would, in theory, replicate the benefits. One such drug has already undergone testing in Japan and has now begun US trials.
The challenge is producing the same effect that caffeine has on the brain but on a much larger scale and without the ill effects that overconsumption can sometimes bring. Caffeine is quickly absorbed into the blood stream and releases the proverbial brakes in our minds. The result is an increased sense of clarity which has helped to make coffee one of the world's most popular beverages. For patients with Parkinson's, drugs like caffeine target regions deep in the brain to help control tremors and stiffness. The unfortunate other results can be headaches, rapid heart rate, anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties and irritability. Researchers hope to get more of the former without the latte-r.
