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Date:         Wed, 17 May 2006 19:57:03 -0500
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From: Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain <ratliffj@MORRIS.UMN.EDU>
Subject:      Re: [PSYTEACH] Nicotine and Caffeine
To: PSYCHTEACHER@list.kennesaw.edu
In-Reply-To:  <200605172205.k4HHrVKQ015756@pima.kennesaw.edu>

> A student asked today, how do nicotine and caffeine affect
neurotransmitters?

Well, Chris, your student asked about two drugs that are a bit more
difficult to understand than other stimulants.  Both lead to stimulation
somewhat indirectly.  A good thing to get across is that the body's systems
count on a certain level of balance-- these drugs (like others) work by
affecting the balance.  Simply--

Caffeine: Works primarily as an adenosine antagonist.  Adenosine, which
works by modulating release of other neurotransmitters, has sedating
effects.  Caffeine blocks adenosine from its receptors, thus blocking that
sedation and allowing arousal systems to work 'unchecked.'

Nicotine: Nicotine works by mimicking the effects of acetylcholine, but not
at all areas where that neurotransmitter works but at a particular type of
receptor (appropriately named the nicotinic receptors).  In the peripheral
body, stimulating the nicotinic receptors triggers the sympathetic nervous
system into action.  In the brain, these receptors are all over the place
and stimulating them leads to release of dopamine, glutamate, and further
acetylcholine release, leading to arousal.

There's more to both of these, but the net effect is caffeine works by
blocking part of the brain's braking system and nicotine works by copying
stimulatory effects of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

If still interested, I'd recommend Robert Julien's "Primer of Drug Action"
for clear but detailed descriptions of actions of these and other drugs.

Both of these are very different from other stimulants such as cocaine and
amphetamine, although some of the net effects are similar.

Hope that helps--

Jeff

Jeffrey Ratliff-Crain
Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching
     Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Minnesota-Morris
Morris, MN  56267
Phone: 320-589-6204
FAX: 320-589-6117
Web: http://www.mrs.umn.edu/~ratliffj
E-mail: ratliffj@mrs.umn.edu

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