TY - JOUR
T1 - Caffeine: Cognitive and physical performance enhancer or psychoactive drug?
AU - Cappelletti, S.
AU - Piacentino, D.
AU - Sani, Gabriele
AU - Aromatario, M.
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - Caffeine use is increasing worldwide. The underlying motivations are mainly concentration and memory enhancement and physical performance improvement. Coffee and caffeine-containing products affect the cardiovascular system, with their positive inotropic and chronotropic effects, and the central nervous system, with their locomotor activity stimulation and anxiogenic-like effects. Thus, it is of interest to examine whether these effects could be detrimental for health. Furthermore, caffeine abuse and dependence are becoming more and more common and can lead to caffeine intoxication, which puts individuals at risk for premature and unnatural death. The present review summarizes the main findings concerning caffeine’s mechanisms of action (focusing on adenosine antagonism, intracellular calcium mobilization, and phosphodiesterases inhibition), use, abuse, dependence, intoxication, and lethal effects. It also suggests that the concepts of toxic and lethal doses are relative, since doses below the toxic and/or lethal range may play a causal role in intoxication or death. This could be due to caffeine’s interaction with other substances or to the individuals' preexisting metabolism alterations or diseases.
AB - Caffeine use is increasing worldwide. The underlying motivations are mainly concentration and memory enhancement and physical performance improvement. Coffee and caffeine-containing products affect the cardiovascular system, with their positive inotropic and chronotropic effects, and the central nervous system, with their locomotor activity stimulation and anxiogenic-like effects. Thus, it is of interest to examine whether these effects could be detrimental for health. Furthermore, caffeine abuse and dependence are becoming more and more common and can lead to caffeine intoxication, which puts individuals at risk for premature and unnatural death. The present review summarizes the main findings concerning caffeine’s mechanisms of action (focusing on adenosine antagonism, intracellular calcium mobilization, and phosphodiesterases inhibition), use, abuse, dependence, intoxication, and lethal effects. It also suggests that the concepts of toxic and lethal doses are relative, since doses below the toxic and/or lethal range may play a causal role in intoxication or death. This could be due to caffeine’s interaction with other substances or to the individuals' preexisting metabolism alterations or diseases.
KW - Abuse
KW - Athletic Performance
KW - Caffeine
KW - Central Nervous System Stimulants
KW - Coffee
KW - Dependence
KW - Drug Utilization
KW - Energy drinks
KW - Humans
KW - Nootropic Agents
KW - Safety doses
KW - Substance-Related Disorders
KW - Toxicity
KW - Abuse
KW - Athletic Performance
KW - Caffeine
KW - Central Nervous System Stimulants
KW - Coffee
KW - Dependence
KW - Drug Utilization
KW - Energy drinks
KW - Humans
KW - Nootropic Agents
KW - Safety doses
KW - Substance-Related Disorders
KW - Toxicity
UR - https://publicatt.unicatt.it/handle/10807/172463
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84929320352&origin=inward
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84929320352&origin=inward
U2 - 10.2174/1570159X13666141210215655
DO - 10.2174/1570159X13666141210215655
M3 - Article
SN - 1570-159X
VL - 13
SP - 71
EP - 88
JO - Current Neuropharmacology
JF - Current Neuropharmacology
IS - 1
ER -