RESULTS Modafinil appears to improve reaction time ( P ≤ 0.04 ) , logical reasoning ( P ≤ 0.05 ) and problem-solving .
Across all three types of prescription stimulants , research shows improved attention with lack of consensus on whether these improvements are limited to simple versus complex tasks in varying youth population s. CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneity of the non-attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth population , the variation in cognitive task characteristics and lack of replication of studies makes assessing the potential global neurocognitive benefits of stimulants among non-attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth difficult ; however , some youth may derive benefit in specific cognitive domains
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Increasing prescription stimulant abuse among youth without diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is of concern .
The most frequently cited motive for abuse is improved academic achievement via neurocognitive enhancement .
Our aim in review ing the literature was to identify neurocognitive effects of prescription stimulants in non-ADHD youth .
Dextroamphetamine: cognitive and behavioral effects in normal prepubertal boys.
The behavioral , cognitive , and electrophysiological effect of a single dose of dextroamphetamine ( 0.5 milligram per kilogram of body weight ) or placebo was examined in 14 normal prepubertal boys ( mean age , 10 years 11 months ) in a double-blind study . When amphetamine was given , the group showed a marked decrease in motor activity and reaction time and improved performance on cognitive tests . The similarity of the response observed in normal children to that reported in children with " hyperactivity " or minimal brain dysfunction casts doubt on pathophysiological models of minimal brain dysfunction which assume that children with this syndrome have a clinical ly specific or " paradoxical " response to stimulants
RESULTS Modafinil appears to improve reaction time ( P ≤ 0.04 ) , logical reasoning ( P ≤ 0.05 ) and problem-solving .
Across all three types of prescription stimulants , research shows improved attention with lack of consensus on whether these improvements are limited to simple versus complex tasks in varying youth population s. CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneity of the non-attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth population , the variation in cognitive task characteristics and lack of replication of studies makes assessing the potential global neurocognitive benefits of stimulants among non-attention deficit hyperactivity disorder youth difficult ; however , some youth may derive benefit in specific cognitive domains
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Increasing prescription stimulant abuse among youth without diagnoses of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is of concern .
The most frequently cited motive for abuse is improved academic achievement via neurocognitive enhancement .
Our aim in review ing the literature was to identify neurocognitive effects of prescription stimulants in non-ADHD youth .