Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
Recording Brain Electromagnetic Activity During the Administration of the Gaseous Anesthetic Agents Xenon and Nitrous Oxide in Healthy Volunteers
Published on: January 13, 2018
Modafinil effects during acute continuous positive airway pressure withdrawal: a randomized crossover double-blind
Shaun C Williams1, Nathaniel S Marshall, Marina Kennerson
1Sleep and Circadian Research Group/NHMRC Centre for Sleep Medicine, Woolcock Institute, University of Sydney and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia. swilliams@woolcock.org.au
Rationale:
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) use is associated with reduced motor vehicle accidents in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, interruption of CPAP therapy is common and is associated with a decline in daytime function.
Objectives:
We hypothesized that the wakefulness promoter, modafinil, would ameliorate this decline.
Methods:
Patients were admitted to the laboratory for three consecutive nights. CPAP was used for the first night, followed by a baseline day, and was then withdrawn for the two subsequent nights (nasal airflow monitored). On each of the mornings after the two CPAP withdrawal nights, patients received 200 mg modafinil or placebo (n = 21) in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. Treatment periods were separated by a 5-week washout. Driving simulator performance, neurocognitive performance, and subjective alertness were measured by the AusEd driving simulator, psychomotor vigilance task, and Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, respectively.
Measurements And Main Results:
During CPAP withdrawal, severe sleep-disordered breathing was evident and administration of modafinil improved simulated driving performance (steering variability, P < 0.0001; mean reaction time, P
Conclusions:
Modafinil prevented the decline in simulated driving performance, neurocognitive performance, and subjective sleepiness in patients with OSA with acutely interrupted CPAP therapy. Clinical trial registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry at www.anzctr.org.au (ACTRN12606000027516).
More Related Videos
07:02A Computerized Test Battery to Study Pharmacodynamic Effects on the Central Nervous System of Cholinergic Drugs in Early Phase Drug Development
Published on: February 11, 2019
04:59Heat-sensitive Moxibustion as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Therapy for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Combined with Insomnia
Published on: May 30, 2025