The majority of Americans are addicted to caffeine, but have you ever wondered what exactly is going on in your body as you desperately grab for that cup of coffee in the morning?
I’m Shannon and I’m a neuroscience PhD candidate – and this is your brain on caffeine. Now before we get started, shall we? (Sips coffee)
Caffeine is a bitter white crystaline purine. A methyl xanthine alkaloid to be precise, which is naturally found in over 60 plants originating in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula humans have been consuming this stuff in the form of coffee tea and cocoa for thousands of years. An oldie but a goodie.
Caffeine is now considered the most consumed psychoactive drug worldwide with around 87 percent of the u.s. consuming it regularly. And that number includes children. That’s right I said psychoactive drug. More specifically caffeine is a psycho stimulant literally meaning it stimulates the central nervous system. Other drugs in this category cocaine, methamphetamine and methylphenidate (aka Ritalin). But don’t worry. Caffeine is not considered a drug of abuse like its other buddies, because caffeine is only a mild stimulant. And I’ll drink to that.
As I sip this coffee caffeine is binding to the adenosine receptors in my brain. Caffeine is a competitive antagonist for these receptors as in they act as a sort of bouncer in front of the receptor entryway not allowing adenosine in. When adenosine normally enters this club or receptor these neurons signals sleepiness so as caffeine blocks the door of these receptors it triggers an arousal effect allowing you to stay out in that club an extra hour.
Sorry. This americano isn’t just sitting in my brain though, it will have an effect on my entire body. As I consume more and more caffeine I can definitely feel my movements get a bit more jittery and my heart starts pounding significantly faster.
Caffeine breaks. ($@!*^%) Caffeine blocks a breakdown of certain messengers in the body, mainly cAMP which signals the production of two chemicals: norepinephrine in your heart and epinephrine in your adrenal gland. These two chemicals together are you body’s main drivers for the fight-or-flight response. That’s right, caffeine signals the same pathway that is triggered when you encounter a snake in the woods. Or if you’re me a particularly harsh Facebook comment. I’m talking to you Greg from Florida.
This response will raise my heart rate and increase my blood pressure to allow more oxygen to my brain and other vital tissues so I can run away quickly from that snake. Or reply with a lot of hot burn.
Coffee drinking, Coffee feel good, coffee baby.
While I may feel ready to conquer the world with my surge of alertness and increased adrenaline, does coffee actually give me an edge in my work?
($@!*^%) Sorry I’m not gonna say any more because it’s rude of me.
Unfortunately studies linking coffee to cognitive performance and skill enhancement have been largely inconclusive. Some studies urge that doses of caffeine can improve memory retention in reaction time while other studies show the exact opposite. Aside from the immediate effects caffeine is having on me right now scientists believe that chronic happiness. They have a number of neuroprotective properties – for example caffeine may protect against the signs of aging with lifetime coffee consumption being linked to increases in performance and memory function and attention in older women. Further caffeine consumption may be linked to lowering the chance of developing Parkinson’s as well as Alzheimer’s.
In summary, caffeine like all of us has some good and has some bad. I for one couldn’t live without my daily dose of my beloved psychostimulant. After my morning boosts I’m ready to tackle the day or after this experiment the week.
See you all and read it at three am.