Acute and adaptive motor responses to caffeine in adolescent and adult rats

► Adolescent rats had a biphasic dose-response to caffeine comparable to adult rats. ► Motor activation to caffeine was similar for adults and adolescents. ► Adolescents showed an effect inversion during withdrawal from chronic caffeine. ► Adolescents showed tolerance to caffeine after chronic administration. ► The results point to heightened apparent adaptive responses in the adolescents.