I was able to focus on my work

Many people have claimed that Modalert Australia (sold under the brand name Provigil) improves their performance on long and complex tasks, boosting decision-making and planning skills. This has led some to use it as a study aid for exams, although the drug has only been approved by the FDA for treating sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. A new study suggests that it also boosts creativity.

In a randomized double-blind placebo controlled design, healthy participants matched on baseline cognitive ability were given a single capsule of either Modalert 200 mg or lactose placebo. They spent the remaining time of the experimental session with low arousing activities in a day room and were monitored by research nurses. Cognitive testing began 2 h after drug administration.

Modalert Australia improved accuracy without a reaction time trade-off in conditions requiring attention shifts. However, it did not improve prospective memory or on the Group Embedded Figures Task. On a task of motivational reinforcement learning, modafinil increased latency of response and impaired the ability to learn cued reward associations. These findings suggest that despite its clear cognitive enhancement effects, modafinil may not improve general cognition and might have more subtle negative or nuanced effects on specific cognitive processes.

The participants were screened for participation before the experiment by an experienced psychologist and written informed consent was obtained prior to the start of the experiment. Exclusion criteria included a history of psychiatric disorders, visual or motor impairment and the use of drugs that interact with Modalert Australia. 

Participants were not permitted to consume caffeine or alcohol during the experiment. They were also instructed to refrain from sleeping in the immediate hours before the testing sessions. The results are consistent with previous studies that have shown cognitive benefits of Modafinil 200 mg in healthy individuals.

They are also the first to show that a pharmaceutical nootropic increases performance in a population of people who are not sleep disordered, raising important ethical questions about how we should classify, condone and regulate such agents. Unlike other psychoactive nootropics, Modalert Australia does not appear to enhance arousal and has minimal recreational abuse potential.