Modafinil is a drug that has been approved to treat sleep disorders, but it’s also used off-prescription as a “smart drug” by people who want to be more alert and focused. Now a new review by Dr. Ruairidh Battleday and Anna-Katharine Brem has found that it also improves memory, learning, and decision-making.
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The Effect of Modafinil on Memory
Modafinil has been show to improve cognition in sleep-deprive and healthy individuals alike. These effects have been associate with enhanced cognitive control and processing of contextual cues.
Studies have also shown that Modalert 200 Australia enhances memory performance on tasks requiring digit span and other tasks dependent on cognitive control. These effects may be due to the enhancement of certain neural activities in the frontal cortex.
In addition, modafinil has been show to increase dopamine levels in the brain. These dopamine levels are important for memory, as they affect how well the brain stores information.
In addition to this effect on dopamine, it has been show to have an effect on glutamate in the brain as well. This is thought to be due to the fact that it increases glutamate levels in the medial preoptic area. And the posterior hypothalamus of conscious rats.
The Effect of Modafinil on Attention
Modafinil is a central nervous system stimulant drug that is use to treat sleep disorders such as narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAHS). It is available as a tablet to be take orally with or without food once daily in the morning.
Studies have shown that modafinil and Waklert Tablet improve attention and response inhibition in children with ADHD and adults with schizophrenia and major depression. In these cases, it also enhances performance on several prefrontal-dependent cognitive functions.
A study of healthy adults undergoing simulated night-shift work found that a 4-day course of modafinil 200 mg reduced errors (compared to placebo) on the WCST and Hayling Sentence Completion Task relative to placebo (Walsh et al., 2004). In another study of schizophrenia patients, modafinil 100 mg give as a single dose was associate. With increase activity in the dorsolateral PFC and anterior cingulate cortex as measure by fMRI.
The Effect of Modafinil on Creativity
Modafinil may be a good choice for those who struggle to find creative inspiration, as it delays fatigue and increases dopamine concentrations in the brain. Dopamine is involve in the processes of learning and data collection, which are often necessary for achieving your creative goals.
However, it should be note that some studies have show that Modalert can reduce creativity in healthy adults. In one study, modafinil users scored lower on the ATTA test, a test that measures divergent thinking.
Researchers also found that modalert decreased the number of moves a person could make in the digit span test, a task that requires both the ability to plan. And logical reasoning. This was more apparent in the harder trials, where participants took longer to complete the task.
The Effect of Modafinil on Decision Making
Modafinil has been found to be effective in improving cognitive performance (especially on planning and decision-making tasks) among people who are not sleep-deprive. This has been demonstrate in studies in a range of populations, including those with narcolepsy, attention deficit disorder. Chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and obstructive sleep apnea.
This has been show in studies on the effect of modafinil on central neurotransmitter systems, which are know to be involve in cognition. These studies have been conduct in rodents, humans, and patients with a variety of psychiatric disorders.
In a 3-week study of medication-free narcolepsy patients, treatment with modafinil at 200 mg/day (in combination with other drugs for narcolepsy) remediated the decreases in a-2 and b-1-3 power in a vigilance-controlled EEG (measured by LORETA). This study also showed that the performance on a test of simple arithmetic (the Pauli Test) was significantly better after modafinil.
