Alcohol Drugs and Behavior Lecture - November 7th, 2003


CAFEEIEIEINEINEINEINE

Or Cafeine

There seems to be a general sense of levity in class....
perhaps its knowing that doug's done teaching?
No thats not it.

Anyways cafeine is a stimulant/upper and its used in
weight-loss, awarness, and arousal.

Its in coffee, chocolate, soda, tea(its actually a very similar substance
not tea)

Avg. cup of Coffee contains 10mg of Cafeine

Its a difficult drug to say that it has addictive properties...
unless the idea of withdrawal is used. 

If you have used it for some time you will go through a withdrawal.

(Large headaches, no energy, high irritibility)

Help for weening from Caf. use... 
Drink lots of fluids, vitamin C, and excercise.

mechanism of action for cafeine is highly unusual....
(Important part of cefeine knowledge is this mechanism of action)


        Medial Forbrain Bundle
VTA -----------------------------> Nucleus Acumbins (NACC)
                                  Here there is another synapse connected
				   The part that is connectes is the bouton

Synapses can be formed between neurons and other parts of neurons not just
dendrites! (IE Bouton)

This synapse that is connected controls the synapse between the VTA and
the NACC.

This process is called pre synaptic excitation.

Increase in activity at 1 = increase at 2
And decrease in activity at 1 = decrease at 2

the neurotransmitter used at this bouton is glutamate

On the top of that neuron (the control neuron) there is a binding
site for denizine... an A2 receptor.

When a receptor binds at this site inhibition in this neuron occurs.
Which means less glutuamate is administered. Which means less dopamine 
release.

Cafeine blocks A2 receptors. This means that more dopamine will be released
due to the same process seen in the paragraph before.

Say you have lots of cafeine for an extended period of time..
then you'll have receptor up regulation.

So should you attempt to get off cafiene... then there is a huge amount of
A2 reception going on. This in turn causes the amount of dopamine to 
be HUGELY reduced. Thus the really bad feelings.

Headaches= same body preperation as heroin (constriction of blood vessels 
in the head so that when caf enters they are opened to normal level)
Should caf not be taken then vessels remain closed and headaches result.