The buzz on caffeine in invertebrates: effects on behavior and molecular mechanisms.

ABSTRACT: A number of recent studies from as diverse fields as plant-pollinator interactions, analyses of caffeine as an environmental pollutant, and the ability of caffeine to provide protection against neurodegenerative diseases have generated interest in understanding the actions of caffeine in invertebrates. This review summarizes what is currently known about the effects of caffeine on behavior and its molecular mechanisms in invertebrates. Caffeine appears to have similar effects on locomotion and sleep in both invertebrates and mammals. Furthermore, as in mammals, caffeine appears to have complex effects on learning and memory. However, the underlying mechanisms for these effects may differ between invertebrates and vertebrates. While caffeine's ability to cause release of intracellular calci

SUBMITTER: Mustard JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3961528 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature