In conclusion , a number of new active drugs were found to improve some cognitive functions , in particular verbal episodic memory .
Pharmacological cognitive enhancement refers to improvement in cognitive functions after drug use in healthy individuals .
This popular topic attracts attention both from the general public and the scientific community .
The objective was to explore innovative mechanisms of psychostimulant 's action , whose potential effectiveness was assessed in r and omized placebo-controlled trials ( RCTs ) .
The effects of single-dose fexofenadine, diphenhydramine, and placebo on cognitive performance in flight personnel.
BACKGROUND Sedation and functional impairments are side effects associated with the use of first-generation antihistamines that preclude their use in aviation . Selected second-generation antihistamines do not have such side effects and have been proposed for use in aircrew . METHODS Forty-two healthy naval aviation personnel served as subjects in this double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled crossover study . Subjective drowsiness , cognitive performance , and vigilance were measured under three conditions : 180 mg fexofenadine ( F ) , 50 mg diphenhydramine ( D ) as a positive control , or placebo ( P ) . RESULTS Subjects receiving F vs. D tended to have a faster mean hit reaction time ( adjusted mean difference + /- SE , -10.5 + /- 6.8 ms , p = 0.127 ) . Subjects performed faster and better with F vs. D on measures of omission errors and commission errors ( p < 0.05 ) . Variable symbol digit coding delayed recall accuracy was better for F vs. D ( p = 0.023 ) , and approached significance for shifting attention and divided attention tasks ( p = 0.062 and p = 0.057 , respectively ) . Subjects reported significantly more drowsiness ( p < 0.005 ) with D than F. CONCLUSIONS Diphenhydramine administration result ed in significant psychomotor decrements compared with fexofenadine , while the effects of fexofenadine were similar to placebo . These results provide additional support for the safe use of fexofenadine by aviation personnel
In conclusion , a number of new active drugs were found to improve some cognitive functions , in particular verbal episodic memory .
Pharmacological cognitive enhancement refers to improvement in cognitive functions after drug use in healthy individuals .
This popular topic attracts attention both from the general public and the scientific community .
The objective was to explore innovative mechanisms of psychostimulant 's action , whose potential effectiveness was assessed in r and omized placebo-controlled trials ( RCTs ) .