Imagine this: it’s 7 am. You stayed up until 4 am with short 15 minute naps here and there finishing up your lab write-up and studying for Exam A and Exam B (both of which, are back-to-back). Since you’ve got a couple minutes left, you’re thinking about grabbing a cup of coffee (or, you’ve been on coffee since 8pm last night).
Sound familiar? I think this is a universal college-student-thought-process on the morning of an exam. The question is, how effectively is caffeine as a study aid? How does it affect your ability to retain/recall information? What is the mechanism of action of caffeine and what is its effect? What is its “mechanism of studying”?
For the STEM majors that are reading this post, here’s a quick anatomy/chemistry session. Adenosine is a nucleoside base that binds to adenosine receptors. This binding action in slows nerve cell activities, causing drowsiness as it facilitates sleep and dilates the blood vessels (for oxygenation during slumber).
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant and is the world’s most widely used psychoactive drug. Caffeine is an antagonist at the level of adenosine receptors because it blocks adenosine from binding and triggers the opposite effects. It induces vasoconstriction (constriction of the blood vessels) and increases sympathetic activity (the “fight” response in “fight or flight”). There are also other modes of action of caffeine: increasing intracellular calcium and competitive inhibition of phosphodiesterase; however, these effects are only triggered in very high doses of caffeine. Long-term effects of habitual use of caffeine include anxiety, depression, increase in cravings, and poor sleep quality.
As a biology/chemistry major, the mechanism of action of caffeine is common knowledge and its vicious cycle of exponentially demanding more caffeine intake is something I’m wary of, but why do I (along with many other college students) keep drinking coffee?
As mentioned before, caffeine blocks the binding of adenosine. Do you know where adenosine is most concentrated in the body? It is found in the hippocampus (emotion, long-term memory consolidation), hypothalamus (sexuality, hunger), cortex (information processing), and cerebellum (movement). Although there is not conclusive evidence to suggest caffeine’s behavior effects, there is widespread debate upon caffeine’s effect on “higher” cognitive functions like problem solving and information consolidation.
Studies have shown that caffeine improves :
- Reaction time
- Vigilance
- Attention
- Mood
Additionally, caffeine is known for its mood-enhancing qualities, which can be attributed to its dopamine inducing effects.
However, there is inconclusive evidence pertaining to caffeine’s effect on acute memory. Although there is inconclusive evidence, this may be attributed to the the different memory task being studied. On the other hand, chronic memory has been generally studied and suggested to have positive long-term impacts, such as the reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.
Researchers suggest that caffeine is dose-dependent and depends on the tolerance of the user. With that being said, the recommended dosage of caffeine is about 300 mg per day (about 4 cups of coffee) for optimal performance with least side effects. There is not enough information to suggest bodily/neural dependence on caffeine as a stimulant; however, it is always safe to assume that too much of anything is not good.
Overall, caffeine’s effects are beneficial to students when used in moderation and when combined with the right personal studying techniques. (Check out my Study Tips!)
References:
- McLellan, T., Caldwell, J., & Lieberman, H. (2016). A review of caffeine’s effects on cognitive, physical and occupational performance. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 71, 294-312. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.001. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763416300690
Study Tea 