Having a Difficulty in Controlling Your Impulse? Take a Modafinil

In a latest finding the researchers at the University of Amsterdam offer some help to those who have poor impulse control.

Poor impulse control leads to inability to control consumption of food, alcohol and other drugs leading to addiction of the substance.

According to the latest finding, the drug modafinil (Provigil) a eugeroic drug that is approved by FDA for the treatment of narcolepsy may help some people to reduce drinking by improving their impulse control. Modafinil is used to treat sleep disorders; apart from this it also enhances cognition. This was easily visible healthy individuals and in patients who suffer from schizophrenia and hyperactivity disorder. The effect of the drug was also seen in people who suffer with addictions but not on non stimulant addiction like alcohol dependence.

In order to investigate the effects of modafinil on impulsivity in alcohol dependent patients this study that was led by Schmaal et al. consisted of alcohol dependent patients and a control group.

 The patients were asked to complete a stop signal task that was done in order to measure their impulsive behaviour. During this their brain activity was measured by the researchers.

"This line of research adopts a strategy from the attention deficit disorder 'playbook'. Modafinil has effects that resemble amphetamine. This interesting new study suggests that, if you are impulsive, modafinil may help your self-control," commented Dr. John Krystal said in a press statement.

On conducting the study the researchers noticed that the drug modafinil improved response inhibition in alcohol-dependent participants with initially poor response inhibition, but response inhibition was diminished in those who initially performed better.

Apart from this for those patients with poor baseline response inhibition the drug also adjusts the brain activation in key brain regions that were directly involved in response inhibition.

Those with high initial levels of impulsivity the drug had a positive effect on them and those with low initial levels of impulsivity the drug has a damaging effect.

The study details was published in the journal Biology Psychiatry.