Atomoxetine Improved Response Inhibition in Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Early markers of cognitive enhancement: developing an implicit measure of cognitive performance Cognitive enhancing effects of modafinil in healthy volunteers Exercise is medicine, for the body and the brain Oxytocin administration enhances controlled social cognition in patients with schizophrenia Effects of modafinil on working memory processes in humans Modafinil improves cognition and response inhibition in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder Relative lack of cognitive effects of methylphenidate in elderly male volunteers Oxytocin Selectively Improves Empathic Accuracy Objective and subjective cognitive enhancing effects of mixed amphetamine salts in healthy people A pilot placebo-controlled, double-blind, and randomized study on the cognition-enhancing benefits of a proprietary chicken meat ingredient in healthy subjects A randomized trial on the efficacy of methylphenidate and modafinil for improving cognitive functioning and symptoms in patients with a primary brain tumor Effects of pictures and textual arguments in sun protection public service announcements.
BACKGROUND Atomoxetine , a highly selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor ( SNRI ) , shows efficacy in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) . Compared with psychostimulants , atomoxetine has a distinct mode of brain action and potentially lower addictive potential . Studies have yet to assess whether atomoxetine improves cognition following a single oral dose in ADHD . METHODS Twenty-two adults with DSM-IV ADHD were administered a single oral dose of atomoxetine ( 60 mg ) in a placebo-controlled double-blind crossover design . Cognitive effects were assessed using stop-signal , sustained attention , spatial working memory , and set-shifting paradigms . Normative cognitive data from 20 healthy volunteers were collected for comparison . RESULTS The ADHD patients under placebo conditions showed response inhibition and working memory deficits compared with healthy volunteers . Atomoxetine treatment in the ADHD patients was associated with shorter stop-signal reaction times and lower numbers of commission errors on the sustained attention task . CONCLUSIONS Atomoxetine improved inhibitory control , most likely via noradrenergically mediated augmentation of prefrontal cortex function . These results have implication s for underst and ing the mechanisms by which atomoxetine exerts beneficial clinical effects and suggest novel treatment directions for other disorders of impulsivity There is intense interest in the development of effective cognitive enhancing drugs which would have therapeutic application across a number of neurological and psychological disorders including dementia , schizophrenia and depression . However , development in this area has been limited by the absence of sensitive biomarkers which can be used to detect and refine therapeutic-like action in phase 1 clinical studies . The aim of the present study was therefore to develop a measure of cognition relevant to the action of c and i date cognitive enhancers which might be sensitive to pharmacological manipulation in healthy volunteers . Healthy volunteers ( n = 34 ) were r and omised to receive a single dose of modafinil ( 100 mg ) or placebo . Five hours post dose , attentional flexibility in learning was assessed using a novel implicit learning task . Volunteers also completed an auditory digit span task and visual analogue scales ( VAS ) . Modafinil increased alertness as measured by the VAS . In the implicit learning task , modafinil enhanced learning rates in terms of both accuracy and reaction time , suggesting an increase in implicit rule learning . These results suggest that the novel learning task should be explored as a biomarker of early cognitive improvement which could be more sensitive than conventional measures Abstract Rationale . Modafinil , a novel wake-promoting agent , has been shown to have a similar clinical profile to that of conventional stimulants such as methylpheni date . We were therefore interested in assessing whether modafinil , with its unique pharmacological mode of action , might offer similar potential as a cognitive enhancer , without the side effects commonly experienced with amphetamine-like drugs . Objectives . The main aim of this study was to evaluate the cognitive enhancing potential of this novel agent using a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests . Methods . Sixty healthy young adult male volunteers received either a single oral dose of placebo , or 100 mg or 200 mg modafinil prior to performing a variety of tasks design ed to test memory and attention . A r and omised double-blind , between-subjects design was used . Results . Modafinil significantly enhanced performance on tests of digit span , visual pattern recognition memory , spatial planning and stop-signal reaction time . These performance improvements were complemented by a slowing in latency on three tests : delayed matching to sample , a decision-making task and the spatial planning task . Subjects reported feeling more alert , attentive and energetic on drug . The effects were not clearly dose dependent , except for those seen with the stop-signal paradigm . In contrast to previous findings with methylpheni date , there were no significant effects of drug on spatial memory span , spatial working memory , rapid visual information processing or attentional set-shifting . Additionally , no effects on paired associates learning were identified . Conclusions . These data indicate that modafinil selectively improves neuropsychological task performance . This improvement may be attributable to an enhanced ability to inhibit pre-potent responses . This effect appears to reduce impulsive responding , suggesting that modafinil may be of benefit in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Cognitive decline is one of the most pressing healthcare issues of the 21st century . Worldwide , one new case of major cognitive decline ( ie , dementia ) is detected every 4 s.1 Given that no effective pharmacological treatment to alter the progress of cognitive decline exists , there is much interest in lifestyle approaches for preventing or treating dementia . Ideally , such strategies should be cost-efficient and widely accessible at a societal level to have the largest benefit for older adults with varying income and functional status levels . One attractive solution that aligns with the above criteria is exercise . However , despite a large and consistent pool of evidence generated over the past five decades linking exercise to improved cognitive functions in older adults,2 there is a reluctance among academics , healthcare practitioners and the public alike to embrace exercise as a prevention and treatment strategy for cognitive decline . For example , the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) consensus statement from 20103 concedes that there appears to be preliminary data to support the efficacy of exercise in improving cognitive function . However , they caution that there is currently no strong evidence to suggest that modifiable lifestyle factors can alter the trajectory of cognitive decline . Adding fuel to the fire are publications such as a 2013 systematic review of r and omised controlled trials ( RCTs ) ( prior to 31 October 2011 ) reporting ‘ weak ’ evidence for the effects of exercise on cognition.4 We must highlight that the search strategy used in that systematic review failed to capture many pertinent papers providing evidence from RCTs that exercise  promotes cognitive and brain plasticity not only in healthy older adults but also in those with cognitive impairment . Furthermore , there are a number of animal studies that provide insight into the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which exercise  promotes neuroplasticity.5 In a previous commentary , BACKGROUND Individuals with schizophrenia have functionally significant deficits in automatic and controlled social cognition , but no currently available pharmacologic treatments reduce these deficits . The neuropeptide oxytocin has multiple prosocial effects when administered intranasally in humans and there is growing interest in its therapeutic potential in schizophrenia . METHODS We administered 40 IU of oxytocin and saline placebo intranasally to 29 male subjects with schizophrenia and 31 age-matched , healthy controls in a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled , cross-over study . Social cognition was assessed with The Awareness of Social Inference Test ( TASIT ) and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test ( RMET ) . We examined the effects of oxytocin administration on automatic social cognition ( the ability to rapidly interpret and underst and emotional cues from the voice , face , and body ) ; controlled social cognition ( the ability to comprehend indirectly expressed emotions , thoughts , and intentions through complex deliberations over longer time periods ) ; and a control task ( the ability to comprehend truthful dialog and perform general task procedures ) in individuals with and without schizophrenia using mixed factorial analysis of variance models . RESULTS Patients with schizophrenia showed significant impairments in automatic and controlled social cognition compared to healthy controls , and administration of oxytocin significantly improved their controlled , but not automatic , social cognition , F(1 , 58)=8.75 ; p=0.004 . Conversely , oxytocin administration had limited effects on social cognition in healthy participants . Patients and controls performed equally well and there were no effects of oxytocin administration on the control task . DISCUSSION Intact social cognitive abilities are associated with better functional outcomes in individuals with schizophrenia . Our data highlight the potentially complex effects of oxytocin on some but not all aspects of social cognition , and support the exploration of intranasal oxytocin as a potential adjunct treatment to improve controlled social cognition in schizophrenia Rationale Modafinil is a well-tolerated psychostimulant drug with low addictive potential that is used to treat patients with narcolepsy or attention deficit disorders and to enhance vigilance in sleep-deprived military personal . So far , underst and ing of the cognitive enhancing effects of modafinil and the relevant neurobiological mechanisms are incomplete . Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of modafinil on working memory processes in humans and how they are related to noradrenergic stimulation of the prefrontal cortex . Methods Sixteen healthy volunteers ( aged 20–29 years ) received either modafinil 200 mg or placebo using a double blind crossover design . Two computerized working memory tasks were administered , a numeric manipulation task that requires short-term maintenance of digit-sequences and different degrees of manipulation as well as delayed matching task that assesses maintenance of visuo-spatial information over varying delay lengths . The battery was supplemented by st and ardized paper pencil tasks of attentional functions . Results Modafinil significantly reduced error rates in the long delay condition of the visuo-spatial task and in the manipulation conditions , but not in the maintenance condition of the numeric task . Analyses of reaction times showed no speed-accuracy trade-off . Attentional control tasks ( letter cancellation , trail-making , catch trials ) were not affected by modafinil . Conclusions In healthy volunteers without sleep deprivation modafinil has subtle stimulating effects on maintenance and manipulation processes in relatively difficult and monotonous working memory tasks , especially in lower performing subjects . Overlapping attentional and working memory processes have to be considered when study ing the noradrenergic modulation of the prefrontal cortex BACKGROUND Modafinil , a novel cognitive enhancer , has a clinical profile similar to conventional stimulants such as methylpheni date , despite a seemingly different mechanism of action . Modafinil selectively improves neuropsychological task performance in healthy volunteers , possibly through improved inhibitory control . We examined whether modafinil induced similar improvements in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder . METHODS Twenty patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were entered into a double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled crossover study using a single 200 mg dose of modafinil . RESULTS Modafinil produced a similar pattern of cognitive enhancement to that observed in healthy adults , with improvements on tests of short-term memory span , visual memory , spatial planning , and stop-signal motor inhibition . On several measures , increased accuracy was accompanied by slowed response latency . This alteration in the speed-accuracy trade-off may indicate that modafinil increases the ability to " reflect " on problems coupled with decreased impulsive responding . Improvements were also seen in sustained attention , which was unaffected in healthy subjects . CONCLUSIONS If these benefits are shown to be maintained with chronic administration , modafinil may have potential as an important therapy for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder with a similar effect to stimulants such as methylpheni date in improving stop-signal response inhibition but without the side effects commonly experienced with amphetamine-like drugs Rationale Methylpheni date , a dopaminergic and noradrenergic reuptake inhibitor , has been shown in young , healthy adult volunteers to produce pronounced effects on working memory and sustained attention . We were interested in assessing whether similar improvements could be conferred upon elderly volunteers in order to gain a more complete underst and ing of the effects of age on monoaminergic manipulations of working memory and attention , as well as to explore the potential for pharmacological intervention in attention and executive dysfunction disorders in this age group . Objectives The main aim of the study was to characterise the dose-related effects of methylpheni date on a range of neuropsychological functions in elderly healthy volunteers . Methods Sixty healthy elderly adult male volunteers received either a single oral dose of placebo , 20 mg or 40 mg methylpheni date prior to performing a variety of tasks design ed to assess memory , attention and executive function . A r and omised double-blind , between-subjects design was used . Results Methylpheni date had significant cardiovascular and subjective effects . However , unlike in younger volunteers , no significant effects of drug on working memory ( spatial span and spatial working memory ) , response inhibition ( stop-signal ) or sustained attention ( rapid visual information processing ) were seen . Subtle effects on latency similar to those in younger volunteers were identified : both doses of methylpheni date result ed in a slowing in response time during set-shifting and decision-making . Conclusions The results of this study demonstrate that , in elderly subjects , the cognitive effects of methylpheni date are grossly attenuated and distinct from the profile previously described in younger volunteers . It is suggested that methylpheni date may not be appropriate as a pharmacological intervention in elderly patient groups , such as those reporting age-related cognitive decline Oxytocin is known to regulate prosocial behavior and social cognition in animals ( Ross & Young , 2009 ) , and recent studies suggest that oxytocin may have similar functions in humans . For example , oxytocin increases trust ( Kosfeld , Heinrichs , Zak , Fischbacher , & Fehr , 2005 ) and accuracy in mental-state attribution ( Domes , Heinrichs , Michel , Berger , & Herpertz , 2007 ; Guastella et al. , 2009 ) . These findings have generated excitement about oxytocin ’s potential to ameliorate social deficits in such disorders as social phobia and autism ( Bartz & Holl and er , 2006 ; Guastella et al. , 2009 ; Kosfeld et al. , 2005 ) . This excitement has not been confined to the scientific community : Dubbed the “ hormone of love , ” oxytocin is a common topic in the popular press . Is oxytocin truly a universal social panacea ? Although some studies have shown that oxytocin improves social cognition and empathy ( Domes et al. , 2007 ; Guastella et al. , 2009 ) , others have not ( Singer et al. , 2008 ) . Even studies demonstrating positive effects have ambiguities : Domes et al. ( 2007 ) found that oxytocin improved performance for difficult — but not easy — test items . These observations imply that rather than working universally , oxytocin may selectively facilitate social cognition given certain constraints . For example , by altering specific motivational or cognitive states , oxytocin might increase the salience of social cues , which in turn could improve social-cognitive performance for some individuals , but not others . The effects of oxytocin , then , should be most pronounced in individuals who — at baseline — are less socially proficient ; this would be consistent with broader interactionist views emphasizing that individual differences in competencies interact with situational variables to determine behavior ( Mischel & Shoda , 1995 ) . To test whether normal variance in social proficiency  moderates the effects of oxytocin on social-cognitive performance , we used a r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled , crossover challenge in which participants received either intranasal oxytocin or a placebo and performed an empathicaccuracy task that naturalistically measures social-cognitive abilities ( Zaki , Bolger , & Ochsner , 2008 ) . We measured variance in baseline social competencies with the Autism Spectrum Quotient ( AQ ; Baron-Cohen , Wheelwright , Skinner , Martin , & Clubley , 2001 ) , a self-report instrument that predicts social-cognitive performance ( Baron-Cohen , Wheelwright , Hill , Raste , & Plumb , 2001 ) . We hypothesized that drug condition and AQ score would interact to predict performance on the empathic-accuracy task  , with oxytocin having the most pronounced effects for less socially proficient individuals ( i.e. , those with higher AQ scores ) Psychostimulants such as mixed amphetamine salts ( MAS , br and name Adderall ) are widely used for cognitive enhancement by healthy young people , yet laboratory research on effectiveness has yielded variable results . The present study assessed the effects of MAS in healthy young adults with an adequately powered double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled trial . We examined effects in 13 measures of cognitive ability including episodic memory , working memory , inhibitory control , convergent creativity , intelligence and scholastic achievement  , with the goals of determining ( 1 ) whether the drug is at least moderately enhancing ( Cohen 's d > = .5 ) to some or all cognitive abilities tested , ( 2 ) whether its effects on cognition are moderated by baseline ability or COMT genotype , and ( 3 ) whether it induces an illusory perception of cognitive enhancement . The results did not reveal enhancement of any cognitive abilities by MAS for participants in general . There was a suggestion of moderation of enhancement by baseline ability and COMT genotype in a minority of tasks , with MAS enhancing lower ability participants on word recall , embedded figures and Raven 's Progressive Matrices . Despite the lack of enhancement observed for most measures and most participants , participants nevertheless believed their performance was more enhanced by the active capsule than by placebo . We conclude that MAS has no more than small effects on cognition in healthy young adults , although users may perceive the drug as enhancing their cognition . This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ' Cognitive Enhancers ' Background It has long been postulated that the relative abundance of specific nutrients can affect cognitive processes and emotions . Newly described influences of dietary factors on neuronal function and synaptic plasticity have revealed some of the vital mechanisms that could be responsible for the action of diet on brain health and cognitive function . Here , through a double-blind , r and omized , placebo-controlled trial , we asked if the newly discovered chicken meat ingredient-168 ( CMI-168 ) could be beneficial to the cognitive function in healthy adults . Methods Normal , healthy subjects were supplemented with either placebo or CMI-168 for 6 weeks . The subjects were given a series of cognitive tests to examine their levels of cognitive functioning at the beginning and end of supplementation , as well as two weeks after termination of supplementation . The combination of these tests , namely Digit Span Backwards , Letter-Number Sequencing , and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test ( RAVLT ) , was used to assess the subjects ’ attention and working memory . For all comparisons , the probability level of p < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant using repeated measure 2-way ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post-hoc test . Results Overall , subjects supplemented with CMI-168 showed significantly ( p < 0.01 ) better performance in all cognitive tests after 6 weeks ’ supplementation compared to control and such superior performance was maintained even 2 weeks after termination of supplementation . Conclusions The present study reveals the cognition-enhancing properties of a recently developed chicken meat ingredient , likely arising from the promotion of attention and prefrontal cortex functions Limited research is available regarding the efficacy of psychostimulants in treating cognitive function in primary brain tumor patients . An open-label , r and omized , pilot trial examined both the general and differential efficacy of 4 weeks of methylpheni date ( MPH ) and modafinil ( MOD ) in 24 brain tumor patients . Participants completed cognitive tests and self-report measures of fatigue , sleep disturbance , mood and quality of life at baseline and after 4 weeks . Following stimulant treatment , there was evidence of a beneficial effect on test performance in speed of processing and executive function requiring divided attention . Patients with the greatest deficit in executive function at baseline appeared to derive the greatest benefit following stimulant therapy . Inconsistent , differential effects were found on a measure of attention in favor of MPH and on a measure of processing speed in favor of MOD . There was also evidence of a general beneficial effect on patient-reported measures of fatigue , mood , and quality of life , with no statistically significant differences between treatment arms in these measures over time . The results from this small pilot study should be interpreted with caution , but appear to warrant additional research , in larger study sample s , targeting fatigue , processing speed and executive function , and exploring different doses of stimulants . Future studies may also wish to explore the specific patient factors that may be associated with responsiveness to psychostimulant treatment BACKGROUND The effect of public service announcements aim ed at promoting primary prevention of skin cancer may be limited by superficial cognitive processing . The use of both pictures and textual arguments in sun protection public service announcements were evaluated for their potentially beneficial effects on judgment , cognitive processing and persuasiveness . METHODS In a 2 x 2 factorial experimental design individuals were shown public service announcements that advocated the advantages of sun protection measures in different versions in which a picture was present or not present and a textual argument was present or not present . The 159 participants were r and omly assigned to one of four conditions . In each condition , participants were shown 12 different public service announcements design ed according to the condition . Participants judged each public service announcement on attractiveness , credibility , clarity of communication and the required amount of reflection . After the judgment task , they completed a question naire to assess knowledge , perceived advantages and disadvantages of sun protection and intended use of sun protection measures . RESULTS Pictures enhanced attractiveness , but diminished comprehension . Textual arguments enhanced attractiveness , credibility and comprehension . Pictures as well as textual arguments increased knowledge of sun protection measures . CONCLUSION Pictures and textual arguments in public service announcements positively influence the individual 's perception of the advantages of sun protection methods and the advantages of their adoption
In conclusion , a number of new active drugs were found to improve some cognitive functions , in particular verbal episodic memory .
Pharmacological cognitive enhancement refers to improvement in cognitive functions after drug use in healthy individuals .
This popular topic attracts attention both from the general public and the scientific community .
The objective was to explore innovative mechanisms of psychostimulant 's action , whose potential effectiveness was assessed in r and omized placebo-controlled trials ( RCTs ) .