Cognitive enhancers

Question 1

What are the cognitive enhancing effects of nicotine?

Answer 1

> Increased rapid information processing
Memory enhancement
Improved directional awareness and reasoning in experimental animals

Question 2

What are the cognitive enhancing effects of methyphenidate?

Answer 2

> Enhances working memory performance
Increases dopamine and noradrenalin levels
Improves cognitive function

Question 3

How does methylphenidate increase levels of dopamine and noradrenaline?

Answer 3

It blocks reuptake of catecholamines, which increases synthesis of dopamine and noradrenaline

Question 4

What are the deleterious effects of methylphenidate?

Answer 4

> Abuse potential
Alteration of circadian rhythms
Anxiogenic
Memory impairment
Possible age dependant neuronal effects
Alterations in glutamatergic transmission
Increased liability for OCD, addictive behaviours and loss of cognitive flexibility

Question 5

What are the cognitive enhancing effects of modafinil?

Answer 5

> Pattern recognition, 
> Digit span recall
> Mental arithmetic
> Spatial memory
> Attention
> Planning

Question 6

What are the cognitive enhancing effects of modafinil?

Answer 6

> Pattern recognition, 
> Digit span recall
> Mental arithmetic
> Spatial memory
> Attention
> Planning

Question 7

What effect did modafinil have on the neural circuits regulating cognition?

Answer 7

Increased cognitive load in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex

Question 8

What effect did modafinil have on the neural circuits regulating cognition?

Answer 8

> Increased cognitive load in the prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex
Increases catecholamines in the prefrontal cortex

Question 9

What did Rowley et al (2014) find?

Answer 9

That modafinil increases catecholamines in the prefrontal cortex

Question 10

What factors allow modafinil to have an effect on cognition?

Answer 10

> Involves catecholaminergic systems
Affinity for dopamine transporter
Reported effects on GABA, glutamate, 5-HT and hypocretin/orexin systems

Question 11

What are the deleterious effects of modafinil?

Answer 11

> Effects circadian cycles
> Causes LTP/LTD affects
> May impair working memory during neural development
> Potential for abuse
> Lack of anxiogenic effect
> Lower incidence of CVD
> Regional selectivity of action