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Modafinil is a drug that’s prescribed to treat narcolepsy, but it’s also commonly taken “off-label” by people without the condition. These people use it as a kind of “smart drug,” to help them stay alert and perform better at work or school.

In one study, modafinil improved planning and decision-making. It didn’t, however, improve creativity in sleep-deprived volunteers.

Increased Focus

People who use Modafinil Australia Online often describe feeling focused, alert, and energetic. They’re often able to work longer hours and power through 14-hour days. In fact, some online blogs gush about the superhuman levels of focus and concentration that they experience when taking modafinil.

In the 5C-CPT, both 200 and 400 mg doses of modafinil significantly improved attention (d prime) compared to placebo. This enhancement was driven by a strong trend toward increased hit rate, which reflects improved target detection. Modafinil did not affect false alarm rate, mean reaction time, or reaction time variability at these doses. These results suggest that modafinil improves attention without inducing hyperarousal in human volunteers as observed with more selective catecholamine reuptake inhibitors such as methylphenidate and amphetamine.

A more recent study comparing modafinil to methylphenidate in chess players found that both drugs improved performance but modafinil was less likely to cause impulsivity and hyperactivity, which are common side effects of methylphenidate. The authors of this study hypothesized that these differences are due to the specific pharmacological properties of modafinil, which differ from those of more selective reuptake inhibitors.

Better Memory

Several studies of cognitive enhancement with Modafinil have shown significant benefits in healthy, non-sleep-deprived people. In one study, participants who took modafinil performed better on digit span forwards and backwards, visual recognition memory, spatial planning tasks, and a version of the Tower of London task. They also made fewer errors on a delayed matching memory task.

Another study comparing modafinil to methylphenidate in emergency department physicians after an overnight shift found that both drugs enhanced performance on a variety of tasks, including logical reasoning and working memory. This was accompanied by a reduction in impulsivity and improved decision-making, with no negative effects on divergent creative thinking.

Modafinil (Modalert 200mg Tablet) has also been shown to enhance cognition in animal models, with pre-treatment with modafinil enhancing performance on a serial alternation task (with no effect on exploratory activity) and a delayed matching memory task in rats without affecting speed or accuracy. A fMRI study showed that modafinil enhances cortical activation under intermediate working memory loads in healthy individuals, compared to placebo. This was accompanied by a reduction of the amplitude of the masked response, indicating reduced suppression of unproductive responses.

Increased Motivation

Many Modafinil users report increased motivation to work, which helps them increase their creative output. A recent study analyzed the effects of 200 mg of modafinil or placebo on non-sleep-deprived healthy volunteers and examined how they did on a series of non-verbal tests designed to measure creativity. It was found that modafinil improved spatial working memory, planning and decision-making for tasks with higher levels of difficulty. However, there was no significant improvement in creativity measures.

This is in line with other studies that show that modafinil improves simple cognitive functions like attention and verbal working memory. It does not improve tasks that involve prefrontal executive function and does not increase motivation in healthy neurotypical adults (see Mohamed 2014c).

Despite the fact that Modafinil does not significantly improve creativity, it is still a good cognitive enhancer and can help you work longer and faster on complex projects. Moreover, it can make your brain feel fresh and clear of distractions, allowing you to focus on the task at hand. There is a growing biohacking movement that encourages people to try out different cognitive enhancers. These include supplements like phosphatidylserine, which can boost the production of cortisol in the body and promote creativity.

Reduced Stress

There is a great deal of interest in the use of cognitive enhancers, particularly those with minimal side effects. Modafinil has been shown to improve performance in healthy sleep-deprived adults and has been compared with placebo and other stimulants such as caffeine and amphetamine. However, it has also been found to have negative effects on creativity and impulsivity in some studies.

One study of sleep deprivation reported that single doses of modafinil reduced errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and interference on the Stroop Task, but did not affect RT or arithmetic performance (Wesensten et al, 2006). In contrast, another research group found that modafinil increased response rate in a series of tasks that required strategic planning, such as the Stockings of Cambridge spatial planning task, but not perceptual or arithmetic response speed (Turner et al, 2003).

In an experiment involving a cognitively demanding task that involved both creative and impulsive responses, modafinil significantly decreased performance on the Art Therapy Task – a measure of creativity and divergent thinking. While this is a small sample size, it does show that modafinil reduces creativity in some people.

More Energy

There is no question that Modafinil helps boost creativity, and this is one of the reasons why many entrepreneurs and millennials use it. Online blogs abound with reports of unwavering focus and powering through 14-hour work days. Other methods to increase creativity include art therapy, which can help people see their work in a new light and spark new ideas. The amino acid L-theanine can also help, and is used by monks during meditation for its ability to reduce serotonin and dopamine activity in the brain.

However, Modafinil’s benefits are limited to certain types of tasks that require focused attention and executive function, such as planning and decision-making. It is less effective for simple tasks such as learning and verbal working memory, and has no impact on impulsive thinking or fluid intelligence. Unlike other stimulants like amphetamines, Modafinil does not cause euphoria or addiction.

Other nootropics have been shown to improve cognitive function, such as phenibut, which promotes lucidity and can reduce depression and anxiety. Another option is phosphatidylserine, which has been shown to stimulate the release of cortisol and improve cognition in individuals with ADHD.