Sustaining Executive Functions During Sleep Deprivation: A Comparison of Caffeine, Dextroamphetamine, and Modafinil

• Published in: Sleep (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 32; no. 2; pp. 205 - 216
• Main Authors: Killgore, William D. S., Kahn-Greene, Ellen T., Grugle, Nancy L., Killgore, Desiree B., Balkin, Thomas J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC 01.02.2009
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Arousal - drug effects; Attention - drug effects; Benzhydryl Compounds - therapeutic use; Caffeine - therapeutic use; Central Nervous System Stimulants - cerebrospinal fluid; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - psychology; Comparison of Stimulants During Sleep Deprivation; Decision Making - drug effects; Dextroamphetamine - therapeutic use; Discrimination Learning - drug effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Double-Blind Method; Female; Humans; Male; Modafinil; Neuropsychological Tests; Pattern Recognition, Visual - drug effects; Problem Solving - drug effects; Psychomotor Performance - drug effects; Sleep Deprivation - drug therapy; Sleep Deprivation - psychology; Young Adult

Stimulant medications appear effective at restoring simple alertness and psychomotor vigilance in sleep deprived individuals, but it is not clear whether these medications are effective at restoring higher order complex cognitive capacities such as planning, sequencing, and decision making. After 44...