Modafinil ameliorates the decline in pronunciation-related working memory caused by 36-h acute total sleep deprivation: An ERP study.

We aimed to explore whether modafinil mitigates the working memory decline induced by 36 h of acute total sleep deprivation (36-h TSD). Sixteen healthy male participants were enrolled in a randomized double-blind crossover control study involving three sleep-deprivation sessions. Participants were administered 400 mg of placebo, caffeine, or modafinil during these sessions. Behavior and EEG data were recorded while participants performed pronunciation-related working memory tasks. Behavioral indicators showed that, compared with placebo, modafinil improved the accuracy of pronunciation-related working memory tasks and reduced the response time. Compared with before sleep deprivation, the amplitudes of the event-related potentials (ERPs) increased in the N2 component and decreased in the P3 component after sleep deprivation in the placebo condition. In the caffeine condition, the amplitude of the P3 component decreased, the latency of the N2 component was prolonged, and the N2 amplitude remained unchanged. In the modafinil condition, the P3 latency was shortened, and no significant difference was found in the amplitude of the N2 or P3 ERPs; no significant difference was recorded in the N2 latency. Modafinil (400 mg) effectively ameliorated the decline in pronunciation-related working memory after 36-h TSD, suggesting that it may effectively counteract cognitive decline caused by acute sleep deprivation.