If you know anything about reinforcement, this seems like a dumb question. After all, a reinforcer is anything that strenghtens a well-defined response. We drink our coffee and energy drinks for the effects of caffeine in our brain.
The way we self-administer caffeine is, in many ways, similar to the way we self-administer nicotine. There's a strong taste and smell coming with our beverage, just like there's a strong taste and smell coming with our tobacco (or alcohol, or THC...but I digress). And caffeine has a similar effect to nicotine, it makes other good things (like the taste and smell of coffee) more potent reinforcers. So it's the effect of caffeine on these other reinforcers that causes an increase in behavior. Using this approach, we became the first lab to show reliable non-human caffeine self-administration.
Here is a list of recent publications on caffeine:
Current members of our research team, including collaborators, graduate and undergraduate students as well as former students who have gone on to bigger and better things.
Some of the recent studies we have published on the psychopharmacology of substance dependence.
Are you interested in addictions or behavioral neuroscience? We are usually accepting motivated and hard working students who want to participate in laboratory research.
If you just need to contact Dr. Palmatier for advising or to schedule an appoinment, you've come to the right place.