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deleted-131956
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:04 pm
Occupation: Student
Project Question: How and why does coffee effect nerve cells?
Project Due Date: 04/18/13
Project Status: I am just starting

ASAP help

Post by deleted-131956 »

How and why does coffee effect nerve cells?
deleted-131956
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:04 pm
Occupation: Student
Project Question: How and why does coffee effect nerve cells?
Project Due Date: 04/18/13
Project Status: I am just starting

URGENT asking this question is a requirnment for my project

Post by deleted-131956 »

I need this question answered today!

How and why does coffee effect nerve cells?????

thank you,
Valerie
deleted-123132
Former Expert
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2013 1:23 pm
Occupation: UCLA PhD student researcher
Project Question: to be an expert
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Project Status: Not applicable

Re: ASAP help

Post by deleted-123132 »

Hi ValerieLITN,

This is a very good question! So coffee affects the nervous system because it contains caffeine. The structure of caffeine is very similar to a chemical called adenosine. One of the roles Adenosine has is to transmit nerve signals in the body making you drowsy and fatigued. It does this by binding to neural receptors in the brain and effects your body by easing the effects of stress, lowering heart rates and blood pressure, lowering body temperatures, dialating blood vessels, and slowing digestion. Because Caffeine looks so similar to adenosine, it also attaches to the same neural receptors as adenosine. When caffeine binds these receptors it blocks adenosine from binding them and then all the affects that adenosine has on the body can not take place. So the caffeine helps you stay mentally alert and have faster thought processing because it doesn't allow adenosine to bind receptors to make you drowsy and fatigued. I hope this answered your question!

Amy
deleted-131956
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Apr 16, 2013 7:04 pm
Occupation: Student
Project Question: How and why does coffee effect nerve cells?
Project Due Date: 04/18/13
Project Status: I am just starting

Re: ASAP help

Post by deleted-131956 »

Thank you so much,
Valerie
sunmoonstars
Expert
Posts: 424
Joined: Fri Dec 12, 2008 3:47 pm
Occupation: Platform Manager - Biologics
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Re: URGENT asking this question is a requirnment for my proj

Post by sunmoonstars »

Hi Valerie,

I think coffee has caffeine in it, and caffeine is a stimulant. So I think if you do a web/google search for "caffeine effect on nerve cells" you will get a lot of information. Let me know if you need help sorting through some of it. Hint - the signal transduction through nerves speeds up. I hope that helps!

Tonya
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