Abstract
Caffeine, one of the most commonly consumed psychoactive substances in the world, has long been known to alter neurological functions, such as alertness, attention, and memory. Despite caffeine's popularity, systematic investigations of its effects on synaptic plasticity in the brain are still lacking. Here we used a freely behaving rodent model of long‐term potentiation (LTP), a frequently studied form of synaptic plasticity, to assess the effects of caffeine consumption on hippocampal plasticity. LTP, which is a persistent increase in the strength of synaptic connections between neurons, is a cellular mechanism widely considered to underlie the processes of learning and memory. A group of 10‐week‐old Sprague–Dawley rats were administered caffeine (1 g/L) in their drinking water 3 weeks prior to collection of electrophysiological data. Another group of age‐matched animals received tap water and served as controls. Stimulating and recording electrodes were chronically implanted in the perforant pathway (PP) and dentate gyrus (DG) region of the hippocampus, respectively, to permit stable electrophysiological recordings of synaptic transmission at this synapse. Population spike amplitude (PSA) measures of LTP induction and duration were acquired in vivo while animals were freely behaving using a well‐established electrophysiological recording protocol. Results indicate caffeine‐treated rats (n = 9) had a significantly (P < 0.05) reduced level of LTP induction compared with controls (n = 10). More studies are needed to identify the exact mechanism through which caffeine alters LTP induction in this freely behaving model of synaptic plasticity.
Highlights
Caffeine, along with theophylline and theobromine, are natural alkaloid methylxanthines that are normally found together in substances such as coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and carbonated beverages, such as cola and other soft drinks (Fredholm et al 1999; Yoshimura 2005; Mitchell et al 2014; McLellan et al 2016)
We systematically investigated the effects of chronic caffeine consumption on long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus by recording electrophysiological signals directly from the intact brains of freely behaving rats
We compared the effects of chronic caffeine consumption on hippocampal LTP
Summary
Along with theophylline and theobromine, are natural alkaloid methylxanthines that are normally found together in substances such as coffee, tea, chocolate, energy drinks, and carbonated beverages, such as cola and other soft drinks (Fredholm et al 1999; Yoshimura 2005; Mitchell et al 2014; McLellan et al 2016). The presence of caffeine inhibits intracellular enzyme phosphodiesterase, thereby preventing the conversion of cyclic AMP to noncyclic AMP. It is through this transformation that caffeine is believed to exert its influence on the sympathetic nervous system (Nehlig et al 1992). Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.
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