1st Edition

Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain

Edited By Astrid Nehlig Copyright 2004
    248 Pages 8 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    Coffee, tea, and chocolate are among the most frequently consumed products in the world. The pleasure that many experience from these edibles is accompanied by a range of favorable and adverse effects on the brain that have been the focus of a wealth of recent research.

    Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain presents new information on the long-debated issue about the beneficial and/or potentially negative effects on the brain of the consumption of coffee, tea, and chocolate. With caffeine as the common component in these beverages and food, this volume features important data on the effects of caffeine on sleep, memory, cognition, mood, performance, and more. It also contains specific information on new directions of research on the effect of caffeine on Parkinson’s disease, seizures, ischemia, the stress axis, and brain development. Debate on the potential addiction to caffeine is included, as well as discussion of how chocolate and caffeine can induce or alleviate various types of headaches.

    With contributions from world-renowned experts in the field, this up-to-date reference provides important information for scientists, researchers, industry professionals, and students involved in nutrition, neurology, neuropharmacology, clinical psychology, and other health-related sciences.

    Mechanisms of Action of Caffeine on the Nervous System, John W. Daly and Bertil B. Fredholm
    Effects of Caffeine on Sleep and Wakefulness: An Update, Jan Snel, Zoé Tieges, and Monicque M. Lorist
    Arousal and Behavior: Biopsychological Effects of Caffeine, Barry D. Smith, Amanda Osborne, Mark Mann, Heather Jones, and Thom White
    Coffee, Caffeine and Cognitive Performance, Jan Snel, Monicque M. Lorist, and Zoé Tieges
    Effects of Coffee and Caffeine on Mood and Mood Disorders, Miquel Casas, Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga, Gemma Prat, and Adil Qureshi
    Age-related Changes in the Effects of Coffee on Memory and Cognitive Performance, Martin P.J. van Boxtel, and Jeroen A.J. Schmitt
    Neurodevelopmental Consequences of Coffee/Caffeine Exposure, Tetsuo Nakamoto
    Caffeine Effects on the Human Stress Axis, Mustafa al’Absi and William R. Lovallo
    Dependence Upon Coffee and Caffeine: An Update, Astrid Nehlig
    Caffeine and Parkinson’s Disease, Michael A. Schwarzschild and Alberto Ascherio
    Caffeine in Ischemia and Seizures: Paradoxical Effects of Long-term Exposure, Astrid Nehlig, Bertil B. Fredholm
    Caffeine and Headache: Relationship with the Effects of Caffeine on Cerebral Blood Flow, Astrid Nehlig
    Effects of Non-caffeine Constituents in Roasted Coffee on the Brain, Tomas de Paulis and Peter R. Martin
    Can Tea Consumption Protect Against Stroke?, Astrid Nehlig
    The Biology and Psychology of Chocolate Craving, David Benton
    Is There a Relationship between Chocolate Consumption and Headache?, Lidia Savi

    Biography

    Nehlig\, Astrid

    “… question the positive and negative effects on the brain (and on health in general) of the consumption of three methylxanthine-containing substances: either coffee, tea and – to a lesser degree – chocolate. … will be an important addendum for basic and clinical scientists, since most results on these problems and issues can usually be found only in academic journals and not often in books. The other positive point here is the presence of a detailed index. Apart from doctors and chemists, I also believe that many nutritionists, neurologists and perhaps most coffee drinkers could enjoy most of that reading; in fact, although it is an academic publication with graphs and tables, one will find many elements in every chapter that can be understood without a specialization in chemistry or in neuropharmacology.”
    — Yves Laberge, Université Laval, Quebec, Canada, in the Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, Vol. 33, No. 3, February 2007