The striatum drives the ergogenic effects of caffeine

Caffeine is one of the main ergogenic resources used in exercise and sports. Previously, we presented the ergogenic mechanism of caffeine through neuronal A2AR antagonism in the central nervous system [1]. We demonstrate here that the striatum rules the ergogenic effects of caffeine through neuroplasticity changes. Thirty-four Swiss (8-10 weeks, 47 ± 1.5 g) and twenty-four C57BL6 (8-10 weeks, 23.9 ± 0.4 g) adult male mice were challenged in behavior and electrophysiology experiments using caffeine and SH-SY5Y cells for energetic metabolism. Systemic (15 mg/kg, i.p.) or striatal (bilateral, 15 μg) caffeine was psychostimulant in the open field (p < 0.05) and increased gripping muscle power (p < 0.05). Caffeine also induced long-term potentiation (LTP) in striatal slices (p < 0.05) and increased mitochondrial mass (p < 0.05) and membrane potential p < 0.05) in SH-SY5Y dopaminergic cells. In summary, our results demonstrate that caffeine stimulation in the striatum produces ergogenic effects accompanied by an LTP, possibly associated with acute increased mitochondrial metabolism observed in dopaminergic cell lines.