Effects of Caffeine on Cognitive Functions Health, Medicine Coursework (Coursework Sample)

Effects of Caffeine on Cognitive Functions
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Effects of Caffeine on Cognition Functions
Caffeine is a universally legal and socially accepted stimulant showed to have limited toxicity to be body as well as minimum potential for abuse. It works by inhibiting adenosine receptors which in turn improves alertness, attention and vigilance CITATION McL16 \l 2057 (McLellan, 2016). Little affect has been observed only on short-term working memory and not long-term, and a significant improvement on the performance of memory was observed from increased alertness CITATION Neh12 \l 2057 (Nehlig, 2012).
In relation to learning and memory, factors such as the level of vigilance, speedy response to time and a person’s mood are considered. Intake of caffeine increases vigilance, creates a sense of mood elation and one generally has a reduced response to time. A study conducted in 2010 by Nehlig and his colleagues showed that caffeine increased impulsivity and the ability of 19-24-year-old adults to pay attention in a passive class. In other studies, caffeine was shown to influence a person ability to acquire, store and retrieve a newly learned information within a short period of time. Similarly, when short-term memory is tested between boys and girls subjected to the same amount of caffeine, females performed better as the stimulant reacted to estrogen in their body CITATION Neh12 \l 2057 (Nehlig, 2012).