Aim
To investigate the effect of caffeine on the reaction time of humans.
Key Words
Caffeine, Reaction Time, Human body, cAMP, PDE,
Summary
This experiment involved measuring and recording the reaction time of test subjects before and after giving them a dose of caffeine in order to see the effect that caffeine has on the reaction times.
Introduction
Caffeine is a chemical compound with the formula C8H10N4O2. It is found in over 60 plants including the coffee, tea, cacao and kola plants. Some of these plants have been utilised for drinks and foodstuffs and produce such products as coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks. Plants produce caffeine as a natural pesticide against species of insects.
In the human body, caffeine acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system and can increase alertness and reaction time (www.livestrong.com – February 2013). There are also clinical uses of caffeine such as being used in aspirin and some other preparations for treating headaches (Rang, Dale, Ritter – 1995). …show more content…
PDE normally breaks down the second chemical messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). cAMP is a messenger for hormones and neurotransmitters. One of these hormones is noradrenalin which causes the heart to pump faster, thus if cAMP is not broken down, none of the effects of the hormones/neurotransmitters are stopped. This is what causes the increased heart rate after drinking something with high caffeine in it
To investigate the effect of caffeine on the reaction time of humans.
Key Words
Caffeine, Reaction Time, Human body, cAMP, PDE,
Summary
This experiment involved measuring and recording the reaction time of test subjects before and after giving them a dose of caffeine in order to see the effect that caffeine has on the reaction times.
Introduction
Caffeine is a chemical compound with the formula C8H10N4O2. It is found in over 60 plants including the coffee, tea, cacao and kola plants. Some of these plants have been utilised for drinks and foodstuffs and produce such products as coffee, tea, chocolate and energy drinks. Plants produce caffeine as a natural pesticide against species of insects.
In the human body, caffeine acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system and can increase alertness and reaction time (www.livestrong.com – February 2013). There are also clinical uses of caffeine such as being used in aspirin and some other preparations for treating headaches (Rang, Dale, Ritter – 1995). …show more content…
PDE normally breaks down the second chemical messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). cAMP is a messenger for hormones and neurotransmitters. One of these hormones is noradrenalin which causes the heart to pump faster, thus if cAMP is not broken down, none of the effects of the hormones/neurotransmitters are stopped. This is what causes the increased heart rate after drinking something with high caffeine in it