Efectos conductuales, neuronales y moleculares subyacentes a las propiedades adictivas de la cafeína

Caffeine is one of the most widely consumed psychoactive substances globally. It acts as a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist. Despite its extensive use, the effects of caffeine on the central nervous system remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate the behavioural changes and underlying neural mechanisms associated with caffeine addiction. The results of conditioned place preference (CPP) revealed that caffeine induces a strong preference shift, demonstrating its rewarding properties. 3D Behavioural Profiling and Motion Analysis further demonstrated significant differences in locomotion, rearing and sniffing behaviours between caffeine-treated and saline-treated groups. C-fos and fibre photometry experiments revealed that caffeine activates the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) region. Transcriptomic profiling revealed a significant enrichment of pathways associated with transcriptional regulation and calcium signalling in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of caffeine-treated mice. Together, these findings provide a multidimensional perspective on caffeine's addictive properties, as well as its modulation of mPFC activity and molecular pathways. This contributes to a deeper understanding of caffeine's effects on the central nervous system.