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
to pain and migraines have contributed to the use of caffeine widely in medicine as a pain relief medication. In the article, the effects of caffeine on the neurophysiologic balance of the body are discussed, its consumption, dependence, and the withdrawal effect it has on the body
Adenosine is an extensively used in the body function within neurotransmitters, signaling pathways, and receptors that take part in various brain functions.
The binding of adenosine to its receptors slows down the activity of neural activity. Nehlig (1999) notes that adenosine controls the sleeping and waking cycle, when adenosine accumulates in the brain it attaches to basal forebrain cells and inhibits their activity, the interaction of caffeine and adenosine in the brain makes one feel more alert. Based on facts that caffeine and adenosine have almost the same chemical compound structure, when caffeine is ingested appears as adenosine to nerve cells in the brain, this enables caffeine to bind to adenosine receptors as a result of the brain more being able to detect adenosine. The consequences of this is an increase in body activity which makes you feel more
energized,

Caffeine
The growing popularity of caffeine is evident by its addition to bottled water, chocolates and food products like potato chips (Temple, 2009).) The energy drink market has grown tremendously with many products now containing different amount of caffeine with intense marketing, the soft drinks have gained a lot of popularity.
Reissig et al., (2009) tries to explain that this could be the reason for the growth on dependence level on caffeine and a rise in the number of withdrawal symptoms being reported. Reports from North America and Europe indicate that 90% of adults in the region consume an average of 227 mg of caffeine daily ((Reissig et al., 2009). The South African Food-Based Dietary Guidelines came up with the recommendation that urges adults to consume only 4 cups of coffee every day to limit the intake of caffeine. Statistics obtained from Europe and North America indicate that major three sources of caffeine are coffee which is 70%, cold drinks have 16%, and tea is 12% which clearly shows that caffeine is a favourite content in the diet as shown in diagram below (Bagwath,
2011).

Caffeine Biochemistry
The caffeine contained in coffee is absorbed at a faster rate than caffeine found in cold drinks. Caffeine's mechanism of action is somewhat different from that of cocaine and the substituted amphetamines; caffeine blocks adenosine receptors A1 and A2A. Adenosine is a by-product of cellular activity, and stimulation of adenosine receptors produces feelings of tiredness and the need to sleep. Caffeine's ability to block these receptors means the levels of the body's natural stimulant.
Does caffeine consumption have any effects on adenosine production? Less research has been done to investigate how caffeine interferes with the manufacture of adenosine and if there is an alteration on the amount of adenosine produced in the body. Caffeine's mechanism of action is somewhat different from that of cocaine and the substituted amphetamines; caffeine blocks adenosine receptors A1 and A2A. (Temple, 2009). Caffeine's ability to block these receptors means the levels of the body's natural stimulants, dopamine, and norepinephrine; continue at higher levels. The effects of caffeine are best explained by the structures through its similarity to adenosine which makes its possible caffeine attach and block brain cells meant for adenosine receptors. Caffeine is dispersed rapidly throughout the body after ingestion and within 45 minutes of consumption, it has penetrated 99% of biological membranes, the placenta and blood barrier. (Chou, 1992). The metabolism of caffeine is through liver biotransformation into dimethylxanthines, monomethyl uric acid and dimethyl, trimethyl and dimethyl-allantoin. All the metabolic pathways exhibit multiple and diverse demethylations in human.