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 .
Modulatory Effects of Modafinil on Neural Circuits Regulating Emotion and Cognition
Modafinil differs from other arousal-enhancing agents in chemical structure , neurochemical profile , and behavioral effects . Most functional neuroimaging studies to date examined the effect of modafinil only on information processing underlying executive cognition , but cognitive enhancers in general have been shown to have pronounced effects on emotional behavior , too . We examined the effect of modafinil on neural circuits underlying affective processing and cognitive functions . Healthy volunteers were enrolled in this double-blinded placebo-controlled trial ( 100 mg/day for 7 days ) . They underwent BOLD fMRI while performing an emotion information-processing task that activates the amygdala and two prefrontally dependent cognitive tasks — a working memory ( WM ) task and a variable attentional control ( VAC ) task . A clinical assessment that included measurement of blood pressure , heart rate , the Hamilton anxiety scale , and the profile of mood state ( POMS ) question naire was also performed on each test day . BOLD fMRI revealed significantly decreased amygdala reactivity to fearful stimuli on modafinil compared with the placebo condition . During executive cognition tasks , a WM task and a VAC task , modafinil reduced BOLD signal in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate . Although not statistically significant , there were trends for reduced anxiety , for decreased fatigue-inertia and increased vigor-activity , as well as decreased anger-hostility on modafinil . Modafinil in low doses has a unique physiologic profile compared with stimulant drugs : it enhances the efficiency of prefrontal cortical cognitive information processing , while dampening reactivity to threatening stimuli in the amygdala , a brain region implicated in anxiety
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 .