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Maintaining alertness and performance during sleep deprivation: modafinil versus caffeine
Nancy Jo Wesensten1, Gregory Belenky, Mary A Kautz
1Department of Neurobiology and Behaviour, Division of Neuropsychiatry, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910-7500, USA. nancy.wesensten@na.amedd.army.mil
Psychopharmacology
|February 28, 2002
Summary
Modafinil and caffeine both improved performance and alertness during sleep deprivation, particularly during the circadian trough. However, modafinil did not show significant advantages over caffeine for healthy adults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Investigating the efficacy of modafinil for restoring performance and alertness in adults experiencing total sleep deprivation.
- Evaluating modafinil as a potential replacement for caffeine in managing sleep-related cognitive deficits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the relative effectiveness of three modafinil doses against a 600 mg dose of caffeine.
- To determine if modafinil's effects on performance and alertness are dose-dependent.
- To assess the capacity of both modafinil and caffeine to sustain cognitive function during the circadian trough.
Main Methods:
- Fifty healthy adults underwent 54.5 hours of continuous wakefulness.
- Performance and alertness tests were administered bi-hourly throughout the sleep deprivation period.
- Participants received placebo, modafinil (100, 200, or 400 mg), or caffeine (600 mg) double-blindly after 41.5 hours of wakefulness.
Main Results:
- Modafinil at 200 and 400 mg significantly enhanced performance and alertness compared to placebo, with effects comparable to caffeine 600 mg.
- A trend towards dose-dependent effects for modafinil was observed, but differences between doses were not statistically significant.
- Both modafinil and caffeine demonstrated notable effects in counteracting performance decrements during the early morning circadian nadir.
Conclusions:
- Modafinil effectively maintained performance and alertness during the critical early morning hours, similar to caffeine.
- Despite different mechanisms of action, modafinil and caffeine yielded comparable cognitive-enhancing effects during sleep deprivation.
- Modafinil does not present a significant advantage over the more accessible and cost-effective caffeine for improving alertness and performance in healthy adults undergoing sleep loss.