Neurochemical Modulation Cognitive Performance and Subjective Wellbeing In Healthy Controls

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2011-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This project aims to investigate the effect of modafinil on motivation, creativity, cognitive performance, and subjective wellbeing in healthy participants. The main task for this research project is to address how this novel stimulant acutely influences motivation, divergent and convergent thinking, cognitive performance and subjective wellbeing in non-sleep deprived healthy young adults.This is a randomised between-subjects parallel group design study.

Based on the hypothesis that psychostimulants might enhance creativity through the increase in of dopamine and executive planning in healthy adults , we predict that healthy individuals who are in the modafinil condition will perform better in the motivation, creativity, and the cognitive performance tasks. Furthermore, based on the evidence that modafinil increases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, putamen and the caudate, we expect specific subjective well-being and pleasure enhancement associated with modafinil use in healthy young adults.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Treatments: Armodafinil; Modafinil

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• Participants who do not meet the Exclusion Criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

• Participants will be excluded if they have any significant psychiatric history, visual or motor impairment, or the concurrent use of any psychotropic medications or any medication contra-indicated with modafinil. In addition, participants with a history of hypertension, cardiac disorders, epilepsy, and drug or alcohol abuse will also be excluded. All participants will be advised not to consume alcohol or caffeine for 12 hours before the testing sessions. All participants will be questioned about compliance with alcohol and caffeine restrictions before inclusion into the study.