Word: modafinil
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...date, the research has been mixed but intriguing. The best-studied drugs so far are dexamphetamine, a form of amphetamine contained in the antihyperactivity drug Adderall, and modafinil, the wakefulness drug used to treat narcolepsy and shift-work sleep disorder. Most studies have been small and focused on safety rather than efficacy. Some have found no effect - but because of their size, it's difficult to determine whether that's meaningful...
With that in mind, Farah is studying modafinil, a drug developed for narcolepsy that is prescribed off-label to patients with depression, ADHD or even jet lag. In the military, it's used to sharpen soldiers' alertness and cognition. Her research is attempting to determine how this chemical affects normal people. "Is there a trade-off," she wonders, "between focusing attention and reducing creativity? And if more workers use it to excel, will we have a workforce of narrow, rigid thinkers...
...latest addition to that budding pharmacopoeia is a narcolepsy drug called modafinil that was approved two years ago to help shift workers stay alert. And there's a lot more in the pipeline. Neurologists have made rapid progress unraveling the molecular underpinnings of memory and attention, and drug companies are testing dozens of compounds derived from those discoveries to treat cognitive ailments like Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia...
Ritalin-type drugs, which have a broadly stimulating effect on the nervous system, clearly improve attention and memory. According to a 2002 study of helicopter pilots operating flight simulators, so does donepezil, a drug that raises levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. In another study, men on 200 mg of modafinil did better at mentally challenging games than subjects taking a placebo. But those results must be kept in perspective. Research at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Silver Spring, Md., found that neither modafinil nor the military pilots' go pills were any better than several cups of coffee...
Provigil, otherwise known as modafinil, was approved to help narcoleptics and shift workers stay awake. Lately it has joined the ranks of Ritalin as a popular performance aid. Some recent studies suggest it may indeed boost attention and mental acuity