[Effects of modafinil on visual and auditory reaction abilities and subjective fatigue level during 48 h sleep deprivation].

Objective: To investigate the effects of modafinil, a new central stimulant, on visual and auditory motion reaction ability and subjective fatigue level during 48 h sleep deprivation (SD).

Method: Six male healthy young volunteers were exposed to two 48 h periods of continuous wakefulness during the crossover experiment. In one period, three 200 mg doses of modafinil were given and in the other, separated by two weeks, matching placebos were administered. The SD time started from 7:00 of the first day to 7:00 of the third day. Drugs were given at 0:00, 16:00 of the second day and 0:00 of the third day. Variables, including visual and auditory motion reaction time, attention distribution, critical flicker fusion frequency (CFF), Stanford sleepiness scale (SSS) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE), were tested at 21:00 of the first day and 1, 3, 5, 7 h after each drug administration.

Result: After 2-3 does of modafinil, the CFF level was obviously enhanced while the scores of Stanford sleepiness scale and RPE were markedly reduced. The visual and auditory motion reaction ability, as well as the attention distribution, showed no significant change.

Conclusion: Modafinil can effectively reduced the subjective fatigue and sleepiness levels during SD.