Preview

Caffeine: A Central Nervous System

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
484 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Caffeine: A Central Nervous System
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is one of the most worldwide consumed psychoactive substances and it is totally legal. The chemical name of caffeine is 1, 3, 7 – Trimethylpurine – 2, 6, - dione. Its molecular formula is C8H10N4O2 and it has a molecular mass of 194.19 g/mole. Caffeine is an odourless, white crystalline purine, a methylxanthine alkaloid, which is closely chemically related to adenine and guanine.
Caffeine acts through multiple mechanisms, however the most prominent of which is the antagonism of adenosine receptors (ADORA1 and ADORA2) and consequently it prevents the onset of drowsiness induced by adenosine.
Normally adenosine accumulates as time pass in the neuronal synapse.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine on Lumbriculus Variegatus
    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Effects of Caffeine and Nicotine on Lumbriculus Variegatus

    Fisone, G., A. Borgkvist, and A. Usiello. "Caffeine as a Psychomotor Stimulant: Mechanism of Action." Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences CMLS 61.7-8 (2004): 857-72. Ebsco Host. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. .…

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    daphina and coffein effect on its heart rate
    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages

    daphina and coffein effect on its heart rate

    Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that is a psychoactive stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the beans, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants. It is most commonly consumed by humans in infusions extracted from the cherries of the coffee plant and the leaves of the tea bush, as well as from various foods and drinks containing products derived from the kola nut. In humans, caffeine has a stimulant effect, causing increased amounts of stimulatory neurotransmitters to be released. If the consumption of caffeine is…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    daphnia experiment
    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    daphnia experiment

    Caffeine acts as a stimulant drug, causing increased amounts of stimulatory neurotransmitters to be released. At high levels of consumption caffeine has been linked to restlessness insomnia and anxiety, causing raised stress and blood pressure.…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Caffeine Affect Zebrafish
    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Caffeine Affect Zebrafish

    Caffeine is found in coffee, tea leaves, cocoa beans, and kola nuts. It is used in prescription and over the counter drugs. It increases blood pressure, mental alertness, and gastrointestinal motility. Cardiovascular development with caffeine and other small molecules can be studied relatively easy using zebrafish. The cardiovascular system is complete in two days after fertilization.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Effect of Caffeine on Heart Rate in Daphnia
    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Effect of Caffeine on Heart Rate in Daphnia

    Caffeine belongs to a class of compounds called methylxanthines and can block a receptor on the surface of heart muscle cells for adenosine. In fact, it is caffeine's blockade of the A1 adenosine receptor in the heart that causes the heart to pound after a significant caffeine dose. Caffeine and similar compounds also inhibit a class of enzymes known as cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases. These enzymes are, in part responsible for degrading a stimulatory signal produced when excitatory neurotransmitters activate different neurons in the central nervous system (CNS). Thus, when they are inhibited by caffeine, the stimulatory signal remains active for a longer period of time resulting in a greater sense of alertness (a CNS effect) but also a higher heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Caffeine also acts as a stimulant drug, causing increased amounts of stimulatory neurotransmitters to be released. At high levels of consumption caffeine has been linked to restlessness, insomnia and anxiety, causing raised stress and blood pressure. This can lead to heart and circulation problems.…

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Daphnia Caffeine Experiment
    • 3335 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Daphnia Caffeine Experiment

    Caffeine, medically known as trimethylzanthine. Its chemical formula is C8H10N4O2. When in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that taste very bitter. 1The most common way of acquiring pure caffeine is the process of decaffeinating coffee and tea. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects…

    • 3335 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Daphnia Experiment Report
    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Daphnia Experiment Report

    Caffeine is found in many plant species, where it acts as a natural pesticide. It is found most commonly in cocoa, tea and coffee, but is also artificially added to some soft drinks such as cola to act as a flavour enhancer. When consumed by humans, caffeine works as a stimulant causing amounts of released neurotransmitters to be increased. High use of caffeine has been related with raised blood pressure, restlessness, insomnia and anxiety which, in the long term, can lead to heart and circulation problems.…

    • 1504 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Caffeine Research Paper
    • 91 Words
    • 1 Page

    Caffeine Research Paper

    Caffeine is an ingredient that can be found naturally in the leaves, seeds or fruit of more than 60 plants worldwide and is well known for its stimulating effect. Some of the most commonly known sources of caffeine include coffee beans, tea leaves, cocoa beans, kola nuts, and guarana plants. Caffeine can also be produced synthetically and subsequently added to various foods and beverages, including tea, coffee, cola, chocolate, energy drinks, and iced coffee.…

    • 91 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Caffeine In Bodybuilding Essay
    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Caffeine In Bodybuilding Essay

    Caffeine is a natural stimulant that nature, acts as a powerful insecticide used by plants to help them deter various insects from eating them. It is commonly found in coffee beans and tea leaves, as well as cocoa beans as well. Experts are now able to isolate this potent stimulant, and not only add it to various health supplements, but also offer it in its raw and natural state. It is especially popular amongst athletes and bodybuilders for the following…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Adenosine Stereotypes
    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Adenosine Stereotypes

    The stimulant effect of coffee comes from the way it acts on the adenosine receptors in the neural membrane. When adenosine binds to receptors, neural activity slows down, making you feel tired. Caffeine acts as an adenosine-receptor agonist, this means that it binds to the same receptors, but without causing slowed neural activity. The…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Caffeine Argumentative Essay
    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Caffeine Argumentative Essay

    Daly, J.W., Butts-Lamb, P. and Padgett, W. Subclasses of adenosine receptors in the central nervous system: Interaction with caffeine and related methylxanthines. Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology. 3:69-80, 1983.…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Effect of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, epinephrine on Daphnia
    • 4396 Words
    • 31 Pages

    Effect of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, epinephrine on Daphnia

    White PJ & Nguyen TT. 2002. _Chronic Caffeine Treatment Causes Changes in Cardiac Adenosine Receptor Function in Rats_. 65,3, 129-135.…

    • 4396 Words
    • 31 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Caffeine vs Sleep
    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Caffeine vs Sleep

    Caffeine has been called the most popular drug in the world. It is found naturally in over 60 plants including the coffee bean, tea leaf, kola nut and cacao pod. All over the world people consume caffeine on a daily basis in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, some soft drinks, and some drugs.…

    • 625 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Caffeine In The Brain
    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Caffeine In The Brain

    Caffeine is a drug commonly used as a central nervous system stimulant. It is found in plants like coffee and tea. Caffeine can also be found in soft drinks, and it is regarded as the most widely consumed stimulant drug in the world based on Nehlig, Daval, & Debry (1992) research. The interaction of caffeine with adenosine receptors in the brains makes an individual more alert. A moderate intake of caffeine results in small healthy risks while high doses could be a catalyst to negative effects like anxiety, insomnia, and tachycardia. Research has shown that caffeine is widely abused. Clinical data available suggest that withdrawal should be considered as a diagnostic manual in the United States (Reissig et al., 2009). The role adenosine contributes…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    FDA and Caffeine
    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages

    FDA and Caffeine

    Caffeine is a central nervous stimulant and changes the way the brain and body work, as well as, changes behavior.…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More

Related Topics