Effect of modafinil on cerebral blood flow of anaesthetised rats. Comparison with amphetamine

This experiment compares the cardio- and cerebrovascular effects of modafinil and amphetamine administered to rats. Injections of 300 mg/kg and 600 mg/kg modafinil i.p. had no major effect. In contrast, injection of D-amphetamine sulfate (5 mg/kg i.v.) induced a long-lasting rise in heart rate and in mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). Amphetamine administration also elicited a 70-min-long increase in cortical cerebral blood flow which was proportional to the increase in MABP. We conclude that, contrary to amphetamine, modafinil has no effect on perfusion in the cerebral cortex of anaesthetised rats.