caffeine psychopharmacology

caffeine

• most widely consumed psychoactive drug in the world

• stimulant/psychostimulant

  1. for the central nervous system

  2. relaxes bronchi (tubes that carry air from windpipe to lungs)

  3. stimulates cardiac muscle

caffeine occurs naturally in

1. coffee bean

2. tea leaf

3. kola nut

4. cocoa bean

   (caffeine powder Aeroshot energy → dangerous)

pharmokinetics

study of factors that influence excretion, metabolism, distribution, and absorption of drugs

pharmokinetics of caffeine

1. crosses from placenta to fetus

2. soluble in water & lipids

3. blood levels of caffiene are reached in 15-20 minutes

4. metabolized in the iver by paraxanthine and theophyline

elimination of half life of caffiene

1. 2.5 -7 hours

asians

metabolize coffee slower

smokers

metabolize caffeine 50% faster than nonsmokers

caffeines effect lasts longer in people who

drink

the elderly

metabolize coffee slower

caffeine

1. blocks receptors for adenosine, the neuromodulator

2. adenosine provides a sleep inducing effect and by blocking it caffeine keeps us more awake

what neurotransmitters does caffeine increase

1. dopamine = happy

2. norepinephrine = attention, working memory, physical endurance

3. glutamate = more neurons

4. acetylcholine = memory and learning

gastrointestinal (stomach & intestines) effect of caffeine

1. improves glucose metabolism

2. improves insulin secretion (Insulin helps regulate blood sugar by allowing glucose to enter cells)

3. reduces risk of cancer

coffee neurological

• blocks adenosine → more dopamine function → better for neurodegenerative function

• polyphenols in coffee preserve neurons associated w/ memory

• tau and amyloid thought to be decreased by caffeine

coffee is bad for those with anxiety because

• sensitive to the anxiogenic properties of coffee

caffeine use disorder

• diagnosable condition in DSM-5

• chronic craving or an inability to decrease or eliminate

• maintained use

• withdrawal symptoms or prevention of withdrawal by continued consumption