Caffeine competes with adenosine at A1/A2A receptors. Chronic intake upregulates these receptors: that is why the post-caffeine 'crash' exists and why tolerance builds up.
View the study (review) →Intravenous adenosine is a coronary vasodilator used clinically in pharmacological stress tests and in supraventricular arrhythmias (fast-acting antiarrhythmic).
View the study (review) →In acute cerebral ischemia, adenosine has an immediate neuroprotective effect by reducing glutamatergic excitotoxicity. Target under investigation in stroke.
Adenosine accumulates in the basal forebrain during wakefulness and activates slow-wave sleep. It is cleared during sleep. It is one of the molecular bases of homeostatic sleep.
View the study (study) →Information, not medical advice. Scientific evidence reflects the quality of the studies.