Preview

Caffiene's Effect on Learning and Memory

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1123 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Caffiene's Effect on Learning and Memory
Caffeine's Effect on Learning and Memory Caffeine has a positive effect on learning and memory. Caffeine improves short term memory and increases reaction times. It also aids in helping children concentrate and improve their motor and memory attributes. Another effect is it enhances learning by increasing retention. Caffeine has a positive effect on learning and memory because it improves short term memory and increases reaction times. The caffeine travels to the hippocampus, which is the memory center in the human brain, which then works with the nervous system to retain the information, even if it’s only for a little while. The hippocampus is located in the medial temporal lobe of the brain. Caffeine stimulates the production of adrenaline, which is a hormone found in the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland releases adrenaline, which can cause pupils dilating, breathing tubes expanding to raise oxygen supply, and sugar being released in to the bloodstream. Some short-term effects of caffeine are feeling more alert and active and heart rate stimulation of the brain and nervous system. Even a small hit of caffeine strengthens the connections between brain cells in the hippocampus. Also, the higher the caffeine dose, the stronger the effect. Nerve cells in this particular nook get a major jolt from caffeine, showing a bigger burst of electrical activity when researchers activate the neurons. These strengthen synapses in the hippocampus and may have a role in learning and memory, which makes sense because one of the main jobs of the hippocampus is to form spatial memories. Spatial memories are the part of the memory responsible for storing information about one's environment and its spatial orientation. Caffeine has a positive effect on learning and memory because caffeine stimulates the production of adrenaline, which is a hormone found in the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland releases adrenaline, which can cause pupils dilating, breathing tubes expanding to

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Nehlig, Astrid, Jean-Luc Daval, and Gerard Debry. "Caffeine and the Central Nervous System: Mechanisms of Action, Biochemical, Metabolic and Psychostimulant Effects." Brain Research Reviews 17.2 (1992): 139-70. ScienceDirect. Web. 13 Mar. 2013. .…

    • 1795 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    daphnia experiment

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages

    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
  • Good Essays

    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
  • Good Essays

    Effects of Caffeine

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Daphnia magna are sensitive creatures and therefore they will respond to slight changes in their environment.…

    • 671 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Caffeine is a stimulant which increases cardiac arrhythmia (improper heart rate) by increasing stress hormone (e.g. adrenaline) secretions. It also increases blood pressure which contributes to the blockage of receptors such as adenosine A1 and A2 receptors. The caffeine blocking receptors also blocks vasodilatory function, in which blood vessels become less dilated. Hence wise, caffeine is also known as a mild stimulant of the central nervous system and also stimulates the cardiac muscle and smooth muscles. Caffeine increases levels of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine has been shown to increase the metabolic rate.…

    • 1281 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Effects of Caffine

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages

    1. Problem: Does age (grade) or gender influence the results of reading correctly a paragraph consisting of words with jumbled text?…

    • 436 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Adenosine Stereotypes

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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
  • Good Essays

    That boost we get from that morning cup of coffee is the result of the caffeine that naturally occurs in coffee. Caffeine is a common stimulant and is found not only in coffee and tea, but also in soft drinks and other foods. It can also be bought over-the-counter in tablet form. Too much caffeine can cause anxiousness, headaches, and the "jitters." Caffeine is also addictive and a person who abruptly stops drinking coffee may experience withdrawal symptoms.…

    • 3281 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Un-Prescribed Study Drugs

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Caffeine can be consumed through coffee, tea, energy drinks, or caffeine supplements. Regardless of the form in which it is taken, caffeine has some effect on cognition. For example, a study conducted by Warburton (1995) found that caffeine intake results in increased alertness, concentration, and memory. Admittedly, there are parallels between the effects of caffeine and study drugs in relation to improved academic performance. It is understandable why critics present this argument because if both are influencing cognitive abilities to a certain extent, then both should be treated equally. However, a line must be drawn. On the surface, the effects of caffeine and ADHD/ADD medications may seem similar, but on a neurological level, the differences are significant. As previously mentioned, study drugs bind to dopamine and epinephrine receptors whereas caffeine binds to adenosine receptors (Doyle et al, 2010). This can influence how long the effect of the stimulants will impact the body. For example, the effects of caffeine can last up to six hours (University Health Service. (n.d.)) in the body whereas Adderall can last up to 12 hours in the body (Brams, Moon Pucci & López, 2010). The differences are significant and it is too far-fetched for the two to be compared. A stimulant that is in the morning cup of coffee or tea should not be compared to medications that are legally prescribed to patients with neurobehavioural…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The behaviour of caffeine acts as a stimulant which increase brain memory. Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group that has an influence on the central nervous system. Adenosine is viewed as a xanthine and is found throughout the brain where it acts as a transmitter of brain signals.…

    • 2675 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    They hypothesized that caffeine placebo expectation seems to improve mental alertness and psychological conduct.The article asserts that lack of sleep degrades psychological conduct, increases blood pressure, but has no impact on heart rate. Caffeine is a stimulant drug and used to enhance mental alertness and cognitive performance.…

    • 47 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Caffeine, the stimulant in coffee, has been called “the most widely used psychoactive substance on Earth .” Synder, Daly and Bruns have recently proposed that caffeine affects behavior by countering the activity in the human brain of a naturally occurring chemical called adenosine. Adenosine normally depresses neuron firing in many areas of the brain. It apparently does this by inhibiting the release of neurotransmitters, chemicals that carry nerve impulses from one neuron to the next. Like many other agents that affect neuron firing, adenosine must first bind to specific receptors on neuronal membranes.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The experiment aimed to establish a correlation between caffeine intake and the effects it has on both the pulse and respiration rates of an individual after undergoing moderate-intense cardiovascular exercise. Caffeine itself is one of the most heavily consumed drugs on the planet; it is estimated that over 90% of Americans consume caffeine daily (Richard Lovett, 2005, New Scientist iss. 2518) and is the most widely used stimulant in the world (Arcerio, P, Ormsbee, J, 2009, pg. 1). Caffeine stimulates the brain and behaviour, whilst enhances performance at simple intellectual tasks and at physical work that involves endurance (Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Research Foundation, 1991). Coffee is one of the most commonly digested sources of caffeine, and approximately 6g of coffee will contain 180mg of caffeine (University of Sydney School of Biology, 2010). Many studies have taken place to try and examine the effects of caffeine on enhanced endurance for athletes, the study “Performance and metabolic responses to a high caffeine dose during prolonged exercise" (Graham, TE; Spriet, LL (1991) indicated that endurance levels in trained athletes increased by as much as 44% after ingestion of caffeine. This suggests that in our experiment we will perceive an increase in performance in our subjects over the duration and upon completion of the moderately-intense cardiovascular exercise, showing that caffeine will alter the mean change in pulse and respiration to a significant degree…

    • 1577 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    For many, the word “stimulant” is associated with illegal mind-altering simulant drugs such as cocaine. Strangely enough, many college students and people around the world consume stimulants on a regular basis in their tea and coffee drinks. Caffeine is known to be one of the most used stimulant drugs by people worldwide. Whether it is because of procrastination or a dense workload, students are often left with the feeling that there are not enough hours in the day to complete all their tasks and responsibilities. It is common for students to turn to coffee to stay awake and responsive. Although coffee is common, it is not for everyone.…

    • 332 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Caffeine is the most widely used drug in the world and its usage results in dependency among many users. There are benefits to caffeine as it may have positive effects on learning, but there are also negative effects on physical health. It is well known that many college students ingest caffeine prior to studying, writing papers, and taking exams. Caffeine is known to increase alertness, improve mood, and enhance cognitive performance. Increased alertness and concentration allows for easier retention and understanding of material, and can result in increased academic success. This information leads a person to wonder, is academic performance related to amount of caffeine consumption?…

    • 1741 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays