Modafinil is a wake-promoting agent that has also been found to enhance cognition and brighten moods. It is used to treat narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). It is also used off-label as a cognitive enhancer for people who want to stay awake for extended periods of time, such as high school students taking exams or workers facing a difficult deadline.
It is a wake-promoting agent
Modafinil (Provigil 200mg Australia) is an FDA-approved wake-promoting agent with clinical efficacy in various fatigue syndromes. Pre-clinical studies have also suggested that modafinil has a number of cognitive enhancement effects in animal models and healthy human subjects. This has prompted interest in the potential of modafinil to treat various neuropsychiatric disorders currently treated with stimulants. In several randomized, placebo-controlled trials, modafinil has been found to be effective in the treatment of shift work sleep disorder, improving vigilance and performance on cognitive tasks (e.g. digit span, delayed matching, and SSRT). In addition to its wake-promoting properties, modafinil has been shown to increase self-reported positive affect in myotonic dystrophy patients (MacDonald et al 2004), and reduce anxiety in obstructive sleep apnea patients (Schwartz et al 2003).
Modafinil increases extracellular serotonin levels in the medial hypothalamus, which may be important for its vigilance-enhancing effects. Serotonin is a natural reuptake inhibitor and modulates the activity of brainstem dopaminergic neurons in the hypothalamus and VTA, including those that project to the frontal cortex. These neurons receive significant innervation from adrenergic and orexinergic nuclei, as well as GABAergic input from the VLPO and LCPO.
In addition to enhancing serotonin release in the frontal cortex, modafinil appears to inhibit orexinergic transmission by increasing dopamine transporter availability. However, it is unclear whether this interaction with the dopamine transporter is necessary for modafinil’s wake-promoting actions. Decreased dopamine uptake and increased orexinergic transmission are both associated with decreased wakefulness, and modafinil’s effect on wakefulness is abolished in DAT-knockout mice.
It is a mood-brightening agent
Originally developed to treat excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy patients, modafinil has also gained popularity for its mood-brightening and memory-enhancing effects. It is a non-stimulant drug, which means it does not cause the jitteriness that can be associated with other stimulants like caffeine and amphetamines. It is a great option for athletes, especially those in high-stress sports like MMA, because it reduces fatigue and improves performance without the negative side effects.
Unlike amphetamine, modafinil online australia does not trigger c-fos expression in the whole brain, but rather activates specific brain regions that are responsible for the uptake of noradrenaline. Moreover, it does not inhibit monoamine oxidase or phosphodiesterase activity, which can make it safe to use for long periods of time. Nevertheless, it is important to take the drug at the same time every day to avoid tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.
Although the exact mechanism of action is not known, it is believed that modafinil increases wakefulness by stimulating specific brain areas, including the hypothalamus. In a cat study, equal doses of modafinil and amphetamine increased c-fos expression in the hypothalamus. This suggests that modafinil enhances wakefulness by activating alpha-1 receptors in the brain and blocking reuptake of noradrenaline. It may also act as a dopamine releaser, but this effect is relatively weak and dose-dependent. In addition, it does not increase dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex.
It is a memory-enhancing agent
Modafinil is a pharmacologic agent that increases levels of certain chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain. These neurotransmitters increase attention and enhance cognition. However, it is important to note that there are also other substances that can improve cognition and do not contain the same risky side effects of Modafinil. These drugs include eugeroics, ADHD medications, and nootropic supplements. Although many white-collar employees use these substances to increase their performance, they should be aware of the risks involved and should only take them under a doctor’s supervision. These drugs are also available without prescription on the Internet, but they may not be subject to the same quality control standards that assure that tablets contain the correct dose and ingredients.
Modafinil has been shown to improve cognitive functioning in several studies, both in non-sleep-deprived subjects and in sleep-deprived ones. Various cognitive measures were examined, including speed of processing, verbal learning, and decision-making. Results for these variables showed marginally significant improvements over time in the modafinil group, whereas no improvement was seen in the placebo group.
In a psychiatric study, modafinil was found to be effective in improving attention and working memory. It improved digit span forwards and backwards, delayed visual recognition memory, and a version of the Tower of London task in patients with schizophrenia. It also reduced the number of extradimensional shift errors made in the Tower of London task.
It is a sedative agent
The sedative and cognitive effects of modafinil are believed to be mediated mainly by changes in monoamine activity. These changes are likely to be a result of the activation of catecholamine systems, with a and b adrenergic receptors being involved, as well as DA receptors in brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex. Modafinil is known to enhance learning processes and increase extracellular levels of dopamine and histamine in rat prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus. In addition, a number of studies have shown that it increases synthesis of GABA and glutamate in the central nervous system.
It has been found that modafinil reduces errors on the Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST) and the Stroop interference task, compared to placebo and amphetamine, without increasing the occurrence of a paradoxical sleep rebound. It also improves performance on other prefrontal tests of cognition, such as the stop-signal reaction time task and arithmetic performance. It is also more effective than methylphenidate in improving cognition in patients with depression.
Due to its favorable safety profile and low liability to abuse, modafinil is being evaluated for a range of medical and psychiatric conditions that are currently treated with stimulants. This includes fatigue syndromes, treatment-resistant depression, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Although the results of these trials have been mixed, modafinil is demonstrating promising efficacy in many of these disorders, with significantly reduced adverse events and less dependence on the cardiovascular system than methylphenidate (see Ballon and Feifel, 2006 for comprehensive review). The safety profile of modafinil is largely consistent across these trials.
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