A review of its effects in schizophrenia suggests that modafinil facilitates cognitive functions , with pro-mnemonic effects and problem solving improvements .
The systematic review on the neurochemical modulation of the modafinil suggests that its mnemonic enhancing properties might be the result of glutamatergic and dopaminergic increased neuronal activation in the hippocampus and in the prefrontal cortex respectively .
Other neurotransmitters were also activated by modafinil in various limbic brain areas , suggesting that the drug acts on these brain regions to influence emotional responses .
Modafinil is a central nervous system wake promoting agent used for the treatment of excessive daytime sleeping .
Its vigilance promoting properties and low abuse potential has intrigued the scientific community and has led to use it as a cognitive enhancer , before its neural functions were understood .
Here , we review the effects of modafinil in human cognition and emotion and its specific actions on symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and whether these are consistently effective throughout the literature .
We also performed a systematic review on the effects of modafinil on neurotransmitter signalling in different areas of the brain in order to better underst and the neuromechanisms of its cognitive and emotional enhancing properties .
The effects of caffeine, dextroamphetamine, and modafinil on humor appreciation during sleep deprivation.
STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep loss consistently impairs performance on measures of alertness , vigilance , and response speed , but its effects on higher-order executive functions are not well delineated . Similarly , whereas deficits in arousal and vigilance can be temporarily countered by the use of several different stimulant medications , it is not clear how these compounds affect complex cognitive processes in sleep-deprived individuals . DESIGN We evaluated the effects of double-blind administration of 3 stimulant medications or placebo on the ability to appreciate humor in visual ( cartoons ) or verbal ( headlines ) stimuli presented on a computer screen following 49.5 hours of sleep deprivation . SETTING In-residence sleep-laboratory facility at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research . PARTICIPANTS Fifty-four healthy adults ( 29 men , 24 women ) , ranging in age from 18 to 36 years . INTERVENTIONS Each participant was r and omly assigned to 1 of 3 stimulant medication groups , including caffeine , 600 mg , n = 12 ; modafinil , 400 mg , n = 11 ; dextroamphetamine , 20 mg , n = 16 ; or placebo , n = 14 . MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Humor appreciation for cartoon stimuli was enhanced by modafinil relative to both placebo and caffeine , but there was no effect of any stimulant medication on the appreciation of verbal humor during sleep loss . In contrast , all 3 stimulants improved psychomotor response speed , whereas only caffeine and dextroamphetamine improved ratings of subjective sleepiness . CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that , despite similar alerting and vigilance-promoting effects , these 3 compounds have significantly different effects on those highly complex cognitive abilities mediated by the pre-frontal cortex
A review of its effects in schizophrenia suggests that modafinil facilitates cognitive functions , with pro-mnemonic effects and problem solving improvements .
The systematic review on the neurochemical modulation of the modafinil suggests that its mnemonic enhancing properties might be the result of glutamatergic and dopaminergic increased neuronal activation in the hippocampus and in the prefrontal cortex respectively .
Other neurotransmitters were also activated by modafinil in various limbic brain areas , suggesting that the drug acts on these brain regions to influence emotional responses .
Modafinil is a central nervous system wake promoting agent used for the treatment of excessive daytime sleeping .
Its vigilance promoting properties and low abuse potential has intrigued the scientific community and has led to use it as a cognitive enhancer , before its neural functions were understood .
Here , we review the effects of modafinil in human cognition and emotion and its specific actions on symptoms in patients with schizophrenia and whether these are consistently effective throughout the literature .
We also performed a systematic review on the effects of modafinil on neurotransmitter signalling in different areas of the brain in order to better underst and the neuromechanisms of its cognitive and emotional enhancing properties .