The present study was aimed to examine the effect caffeine has on the nervous system, thereby testing visual reaction time. Reaction time is one of the most important physiological parameters since it gives information of how fast a person responds to situations.(3,4) The experiment was conducted to evaluate the reaction time of individuals affected by caffeine by vertically holding a ruler ten centimeters above the participants head and releasing them at random times. The participants were required to catch the rulers with both hands. The length, at which the ruler was caught, was recorded. Fifty subjects were tested in the experiment. The reaction time was measured in two sessions. In the first session, the experiment was tested three consecutive times without caffeine in the blood stream. The averages of all of the participants’ results were recorded together. In the second session, the experiment was tested three consecutive times but 345ml of caffeine was absorbed in the bloodstream. The averages of all of the participants’ results were recorded together.
There are various bodily senses in the human body that respond to various stimuli with different speed that play an important role in everyday life. Visual reaction time is referred to the time required to respond to visual stimuli.(4) Reaction time is an important component of information processing since it is responsible for triggering response programming, specifically in dangerous situations.(5) Reaction time is one of the most important physiological aspects of the human body, which gives information of how quickly a person reacts to an instantaneous situation. A major factor that is currently being studied is the effects of caffeine on the nervous system and how it affects an individual’s visual reaction time in day-to-day events.
Caffeine is a white crystalline alkaloid found in nuts and plants which stimulates the nervous system, cardiac muscles, increases alertness, and also helps in the treatment of headaches(1). This drug was discovered by Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge in 1819(1). Caffeine has been suggested to work on a chemical level to boost an individual’s energy. One proposed mechanism is that when coffee is consumed, caffeine is absorbed into the bloodstream and is transported around the body to the brain. Caffeine binds to the brain’s adenosine receptors (receptors that help in cellular energy transfer) which prevent the chemical that cause fatigue from binding with those receptors. For the individuals who regularly drink coffee in copious amounts, the brain develop more adenosine receptors, so it takes more coffee to stay awake.(2) This experiment was conducted using only a ruler and a timer in order to evaluate if caffeine consumption truly has an effect on an individual’s visual reaction time.
