Although caffeine is consumed by pregnant women, children, and adolescents, there has been relatively little attention devoted to the possible effects of the drug on long-lasting neurobehavioral development. This contrasts with consistent changes in later behavior of laboratory rodents after exposure to caffeine during the developmental stages of gestation, lactation, and adolescence. Such changes are particularly evident as subsequently increased anxiety-related responses after treatment at any stage. However, very little is known about the longer term (possibly sex-related) effects on human adolescents of caffeine alone and mixtures of caffeine and alcohol, in spite of their increasing popularity. Even though upregulation of central adenosine receptors is most likely to be involved in the developmental effects of caffeine, there are also other possible mechanisms that require investigation. All aspects of the neurobehavioral effects of caffeine are extremely important and need considerably more research.
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