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 .
Modafinil improves rapid shifts of attention
Rationale The majority of studies investigating the cognitive effects of modafinil , a wake-promoting compound , demonstrate some improvements in attention . The potential of the drug to selectively benefit distinct components of attention has yet to be fully explored in healthy adults . Objective The present study was conducted to investigate modafinil ’s effect on specific cognitive tasks that tax components of attention switching . One required the rapid switching of attention between stimuli , and another contained an embedded working memory component on top of the attentional shift requirements . Additionally , prospect i ve memory was examined , which requires the interruption of an ongoing activity to retrieve and act upon a previously formed intention . Material s and methods Healthy non-smoking volunteers , matched on age , intelligence , and baseline cognitive ability , received either a capsule that contained 200 mg modafinil or placebo .  Subjective measures of mood and physiological response were taken throughout the experimental session , and the tasks were completed between 2 and 3 h post-dosing . Results Two hundred milligrams modafinil improved accuracy without a reaction time trade-off , in both conditions of the attention-shifting task , but only when re sources were most challenged . In contrast , the drug afforded no improvement in prospect i ve remembering or in the ongoing task that was interrupted . Conclusion Modafinil appears to promote rapid switching of attention in conditions that are most dem and ing , whilst it offers no benefits in a task that requires unpredictable and infrequent disengagement of attention from an ongoing task in order to act upon an alternative task
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 .