The Neurobiology of Espresso

My graduate students were optimistic when they found out I would be reviewing "Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain" (see record 2004-19239-000). I knew that deep in their hearts their curiosity was not scholarly; they were hopeful that it would offer the definitive doping guide for graduate school. These doctoral students have been self-medicating by trial and error for a decade and were longing to apply their newfound grasp of statistics, research methodology, and psychopharmacology to personally relevant aims. Their hope is not misplaced, for the book provides a marvelous overview of the current literature. The data for their doping method are there, although they require a careful reading. The students are also fortunate because the book blends the science with a pragmatic, accessible style. The mechanisms are described; however, they are set in a text that a thoughtful clinician could navigate. The book systematically documents the research on caffeine's effects on attention, mood, memory, sleep, and a broad range of cognitive and physiological measures. Each chapter is written by an eminent research group, each presenting a particular area of interest and perspective on the data. In and among the neurobiological data are hypotheses and findings from social and health psychology, creating a broadly appealing scholarly book. These sections are often welcome diversions in and among the neuroscience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)