EFFECT OF CAFFEINE ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS 2
EFFECT OF CAFFEINE ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS
Caffeine is one of the components in different beverages like coffee, tea, and cocoa and
they are consumed by many people in the world. This component has been the subjects of
studies focusing on the pharmacological impacts on the body. Recent development has
established that its mechanism of action influences the central nervous system by blocking
adenosine receptors. Different research studies have illustrated that caffeine is attributed to
mental performance, vigilance, and mood. Nonetheless, other reports demonstrate that the
occurrence of caffeine in any source does not often affect learning performance and memory
functions (Kara et al., 2018). This paper seeks to establish the effect of caffeine on cognitive
functions and whether it is an enhancer or it harms people’s health.
According to Almosawi et al. (2018), caffeine is a component of xanthine, and it
contains a specific percentage of adenosine. Adenosine is responsible for the activity of
neurons that is it slows down their activeness. Sources have shown that caffeine acts in place
of adenosine to speed up the action of the neurons. Consequently, it increases the operation of
the neurons in the brain and facilitates the production of adrenaline hormone. More so, the
stimulant has been demonstrated to exert its effects by stopping adenosine receptors thereby
lessening the impact of slow neurotransmitters (McLellan, Caldwell, & Lieberman, 2016). It
is shown to bear improvements on reaction time since it increases alertness and improves short-
term recall. However, other reports posit that moderate consumption of caffeine may increase
alertness but reduces the fine motor coordination, causes headaches, nervousness, and
insomnia. Hence caffeine intake may be associated with the improved cognitive performance,
but its impacts are linked to particular tasks and the scarcity of the studies to prove it (Almosawi
et al., 2018).
However, the limited doses of caffeine in various drinks that are enough to raise the
concentration of plasma thus blocking the adenosine receptors. It has been demonstrated that
