Modafinil for Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2012-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Patients with schizophrenia have problems in thinking, known as cognitive dysfunction. This
appears to be responsible for their difficulties in social and occupational functioning. One
particular cognitive function that may be important for schizophrenia is called context
processing. This refers to the ability to properly use information in the environment to
guide thinking and behavior so that it is appropriate to the present circumstance. Problems
with this function may explain why patients with schizophrenia think and act in unusual ways,
and often have problems managing aspects of their lives that healthy adults take for granted.
This cognitive function depends on a region of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, which
shows impaired function in schizophrenia as well. Unfortunately, the biochemical aspects of
this dysfunction are presently unknown, and it is not clear whether current psychiatric
medications can improve this function. A recent FDA-approved medication that may improve this
function is modafinil. Studies in animals and healthy adults show that this medication can
improve cognitive functions which are related to context processing. We plan to study the
effects of modafinil on context processing and the brain activity that underlies this
function. We will use functional MRI and electrophysiology to examine the effects of
modafinil, both after a single dose and after sustained (4 week) treatment. We predict that
when patients receive modafinil they will perform better on cognitive tests and have improved
activity in the regions of the brain that are responsible for these cognitive processes.
Phase:
Phase 4
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of California, Davis University of California, Los Angeles