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Lucy Landaeta, Keely Johnson, Dr. James Cortright, and Dr. Daniel Ehlinger, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 410 S. 3rd Street, River Falls WI 54022
To date, caffeine leads globally as the most consumed psychoactive drug. Its readily available nature and alertness-exerting effects have appealed to populations of all psychiatric histories. Given the prevalence of psychiatric conditions such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), in which symptoms such as lethargy are commonplace, a potential relationship between caffeine administration and attenuation of MDD symptoms has been suggested. In particular, within groups exposed repeatedly to stress, a frequent trigger of MDD, caffeine intake surges. This has led to an observed inverse correlation between caffeine intake and MDD symptoms (Kaster et al). Clinically, the current state regarding caffeine administration as part of MDD treatment remains limited but established. When conjunctively applied in the presence of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), caffeine has shown to augment the therapeutic effects in human and animal models (Minor et al; Szopa et al.). However, the mechanism of action by which caffeine specifically exerts these effects remains unknown. The purpose of our study was to expand upon previous literature and to elucidate these mechanisms by combining behavioral and morphological analysis.
Presenters: Lucy Landaeta, Dan Roever
Institution: University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Type: Poster
Subject: Psychology
Status: Approved
