Effects of modafinil on cognitive ability of healthy young men during 48 h sleep deprivation

Objective To investigate the effects of modafinil, a new central stimulant, on cognitive ability during sleep deprivation(SD), and provide related information for its further use. Methods Six male healthy young volunteers underwent two 48 h SD test with 2 wk interval in a crossover design experiment. The SD started from 8:00 of the first day to 8:00 of the third day. Drug or placebo was given at 0:00, 16:00 of the second day and at 0:00 of the third day. Four digit addition(the correct rate of four digits addition), psychomotor performance(the ability of controlling the flying attitude of the airplane simulated by the computer) and dual task(the former two tasks combined together) were tested at 21:00 of the first day and 1, 3, 5, 7 h after drug administration. Data was processed with SPSS program. The main effect in each period was analyzed with repeated measures procedure, and the differences between modafinil group and placebo group at each time point with univariate procedure. Results Modafinil can markedly enhance the scores of psychomotor performance, four digit addition and dual task in comparison with placebo. The most noticeable benefits occurred after the third drug administration, when the combined impact of sleep loss and the circadian trough was most severe( P0.05 ). Conclusions Modafinil can remarkably alleviate the deterioration of cognitive ability induced by sleep deprivation, and maintain cognitive performance at a relatively stable level.