Post by TheBogMan on Mar 10, 2009 23:08:34 GMT -5
From BBC News; People who drink too much coffee could start seeing ghosts or hearing strange voices, UK research has suggested.
People who drank more than seven cups of instant coffee a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than those who took just one, a study found.
A Durham University team questioned 200 students about their caffeine intake, the journal Personality and Individual Differences reported.
However, academics say the findings do not prove a "causal link".
They also stress that experiencing hallucinations is not a definite sign of mental illness and that about 3% of people regularly hear voices.
"This is the first step toward looking at the wider factors associated with hallucinations," said psychology PhD student Simon Jones, who led the study.
Under stress
He said previous research had suggested factors such as childhood trauma could be linked to hallucinations.
When under stress, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which is produced in greater quantities after consuming caffeine.
The extra cortisol boost could be what causes a person to hallucinate.
Therefore, Mr James added, it made sense to examine the link between caffeine and mood.
Besides coffee, sources such as tea, chocolate, "pep" pills and energy drinks contain caffeine.
After asking the students about their typical intake, the research team assessed their susceptibility to hallucinatory experiences and stress levels.
Rest of the story at; news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7827761.stm
Pity that the visions and voices encountered seem to be hallucinatory. Otherwise, stopping at Starbucks for an hour or so would be a great way to help enhance an investigation.
(Then again, the cortisol could be activating some dormant brain circuitry, ala say peyote and vision quests, but that's being really speculative.)
People who drank more than seven cups of instant coffee a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than those who took just one, a study found.
A Durham University team questioned 200 students about their caffeine intake, the journal Personality and Individual Differences reported.
However, academics say the findings do not prove a "causal link".
They also stress that experiencing hallucinations is not a definite sign of mental illness and that about 3% of people regularly hear voices.
"This is the first step toward looking at the wider factors associated with hallucinations," said psychology PhD student Simon Jones, who led the study.
Under stress
He said previous research had suggested factors such as childhood trauma could be linked to hallucinations.
When under stress, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which is produced in greater quantities after consuming caffeine.
The extra cortisol boost could be what causes a person to hallucinate.
Therefore, Mr James added, it made sense to examine the link between caffeine and mood.
Besides coffee, sources such as tea, chocolate, "pep" pills and energy drinks contain caffeine.
After asking the students about their typical intake, the research team assessed their susceptibility to hallucinatory experiences and stress levels.
Rest of the story at; news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7827761.stm
Pity that the visions and voices encountered seem to be hallucinatory. Otherwise, stopping at Starbucks for an hour or so would be a great way to help enhance an investigation.
(Then again, the cortisol could be activating some dormant brain circuitry, ala say peyote and vision quests, but that's being really speculative.)
