The research team - including Prof. Christoph Beglinger and Prof. Stefan Borgwardt of the University Hospital of Basel in Switzerland - says their findings suggest that green tea could be promising in the treatment of cognitive impairments associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as dementia
Past research has associated the beverage with many health benefits. Last year, for example,Medical News Today reported on a study suggesting that green tea may reduce stroke risk, while another study found that it could help fight prostate cancer. Previous studies have also suggested that green tea may have a beneficial impact on the brain's cognitive functions. However, according to the researchers of this most recent study, the exact mechanisms behind this claim have been unclear.
To further investigate, the team conducted a study using 12 healthy male volunteers with a mean age of 24.1 years.
Participants were given a milk whey-based soft drink containing 27.5 g of green tea extract, while others were given a soft drink without the green tea extract. Volunteers were unaware of which drink they had been given.
The participants were then required to carry out a series of working memory tasks. During these tasks, their brain activity was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Commenting on the findings, the researchers say: "The present study shows that green tea extract enhances functional connectivity from the parietal to the frontal cortex during working memory processing in healthy controls.”