Caffeine
Caffeine is known to wake people up; whether its Starbucks, McDonalds, or the Keurig for the morning cup of joe, many adults and now even teenagers consume coffee for the caffeine that helps to start their mornings. Caffeine doesn't really wake people up though; it isn't a stimulative neurotransmitter. Instead, it blocks the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid, the neurotransmitter that inhibits other neurotransmitters. By inhibiting the primary inhibitor, the brain can be stimulated more easily again. This allows the brain to be stimulated more by the normal neurotransmitters that help to wake people up in the mornings, thus 'waking' people up more. However, as many people may know, too much caffeine can lead to hyperness, which could be anti-productive.
Alcohol
Alcohol is known to impair people, whether it’s consumed through beer, wine, or liquor. Alcohol mimics GABA in GABA receptors, and thus allows more chloride ions to flow into the cell, hyperpolarizing the cell even more. This leads to a higher threshold for the minimum voltage needed to start an action potential/nerve impulse, meaning that they are harder to start and weaker. Chronic consumption of alcoholic drinks can desensitize GABA receptors, and thus reduce the effect of GABA, causing the “state of excitation characteristic of alcohol withdrawal" (GABA). This leads to more drinking to battle the withdrawal, and then the cycle repeats.
Caffeine is known to wake people up; whether its Starbucks, McDonalds, or the Keurig for the morning cup of joe, many adults and now even teenagers consume coffee for the caffeine that helps to start their mornings. Caffeine doesn't really wake people up though; it isn't a stimulative neurotransmitter. Instead, it blocks the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid, the neurotransmitter that inhibits other neurotransmitters. By inhibiting the primary inhibitor, the brain can be stimulated more easily again. This allows the brain to be stimulated more by the normal neurotransmitters that help to wake people up in the mornings, thus 'waking' people up more. However, as many people may know, too much caffeine can lead to hyperness, which could be anti-productive.
Alcohol
Alcohol is known to impair people, whether it’s consumed through beer, wine, or liquor. Alcohol mimics GABA in GABA receptors, and thus allows more chloride ions to flow into the cell, hyperpolarizing the cell even more. This leads to a higher threshold for the minimum voltage needed to start an action potential/nerve impulse, meaning that they are harder to start and weaker. Chronic consumption of alcoholic drinks can desensitize GABA receptors, and thus reduce the effect of GABA, causing the “state of excitation characteristic of alcohol withdrawal" (GABA). This leads to more drinking to battle the withdrawal, and then the cycle repeats.
Sources
GABA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2015.
HOW DRUGS AFFECT NEUROTRANSMITTERS. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2015.
GABA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2015.
HOW DRUGS AFFECT NEUROTRANSMITTERS. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2015.