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Caffeine

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology

  • 212 Accesses

Synonyms

1,3,7-trimethylpurine-2,6-dione; 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine; Trimethylxanthine

Definition

Caffeine is a natural xanthinic alkaloid consumed worldwide for its ability to exert psychoactive stimulant effects of a mild extent usually devoid of severe unwanted consequences.

Pharmacological Properties

History and Sources

Caffeine is contained in several vegetal species, the most famous being Coffea arabica, Thea sinensis, and Theobroma cacao.The most ancient documentation on the consumption of caffeine-containing plants and their derivatives dates back to China of the third century, where caffeine was consumed as tea. However, it is believed that consumption of caffeine-containing plants began far earlier, perhaps even during the Stone Age. Coffee as a beverage was first imported in Europe by the venetian Prospero Alpino in 1570, while Léonard Rauwolf, a German physician and botanist, was the first European to describe in 1573 the preparation and drinking of coffee, and Friedrich...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Section of Neuropsychopharmacology, University of Cagliari, Via Ospedale 72, 09124, Cagliari, Italy

    Micaela Morelli & Nicola Simola

  2. Center of Excellence for Neurobiology of Dependence, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Micaela Morelli

  3. Section of Cagliari, National Research Council (CNR), Neuroscience Institute, Cagliari, Italy

    Micaela Morelli

  4. National Institute of Neuroscience (INN), University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy

    Micaela Morelli

Authors
  1. Micaela Morelli
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  2. Nicola Simola
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Micaela Morelli .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Behavioural Pharmacology, King's College London Institute of Psychiatry P049, London, United Kingdom

    Ian P. Stolerman

  2. Brown Medical School, Butler Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island, USA

    Lawrence H. Price

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Morelli, M., Simola, N. (2014). Caffeine. In: Stolerman, I., Price, L. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_142-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27772-6_142-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27772-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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