The Effect of Caffeinated Drinks on House Mice
People all over the world consume caffeine daily. Caffeine, a component of coffee, tea and cola, is a white crystalline and bitter alkaloid which acts as stimulant or diuretic (Wallace, 1990). Caffeine affects the central nervous system by stimulating nerve cell metabolism which improves performance, increases alertness and decreases boredom. According to Campbell (2011), the central nervous system is the portion of the nervous system where signal integration occurs, specifically the brain and spinal cord for the vertebrate animals.
The effect of different caffeine products will be determined using the automated counting system in wheel activity. House mice will be used as the test organism as it is fit to the wheel activity test. House mice also have a high degree of homology with humans and are cheaper and can be easily maintained. If the caffeine content from energy drink and coffee increases the wheel activity of house mice, then the mice on a caffeinated diet will have higher rate of wheel activity than the mice on a non-caffeinated diet. Since house mice are usually used as test organisms for medical researches with results that can be applied to humans, comparing the effect of caffeine on humans and house mice can be observed. This study aims to determine the effect of different caffeinated drinks on the activity of the house mice through the wheel activity test. The specific objectives are: 1. identify the effect of caffeine on the mice’s central nervous system; 2. compare the wheel activity of mice using different caffeine products; and 3. determine which caffeine products is more effective in increasing the wheel activity of mice.
Literature Cited
Campbell, N.A., Reece, J.B., Urry, L.A., Cain, M.L., Wasserman, S.A., Minorsky, P.V., Jackson, R.B. 2011. Biology. 6th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings Pub. Co., Inc. pp. 1063- 1065.
Wallace, R.A. 1990. Biology: The World of Life. 5th ed. USA: Harper Collins
The effect of different caffeine products will be determined using the automated counting system in wheel activity. House mice will be used as the test organism as it is fit to the wheel activity test. House mice also have a high degree of homology with humans and are cheaper and can be easily maintained. If the caffeine content from energy drink and coffee increases the wheel activity of house mice, then the mice on a caffeinated diet will have higher rate of wheel activity than the mice on a non-caffeinated diet. Since house mice are usually used as test organisms for medical researches with results that can be applied to humans, comparing the effect of caffeine on humans and house mice can be observed. This study aims to determine the effect of different caffeinated drinks on the activity of the house mice through the wheel activity test. The specific objectives are: 1. identify the effect of caffeine on the mice’s central nervous system; 2. compare the wheel activity of mice using different caffeine products; and 3. determine which caffeine products is more effective in increasing the wheel activity of mice.
Literature Cited
Campbell, N.A., Reece, J.B., Urry, L.A., Cain, M.L., Wasserman, S.A., Minorsky, P.V., Jackson, R.B. 2011. Biology. 6th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings Pub. Co., Inc. pp. 1063- 1065.
Wallace, R.A. 1990. Biology: The World of Life. 5th ed. USA: Harper Collins