title: The effects of caffeine, dextroamphetamine, and modafinil on humor appreciation during sleep deprivation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sleep loss consistently impairs performance on measures of alertness, vigilance, and response speed, but its effects on higher-order executive functions are not well delineated. Similarly, whereas deficits in arousal and vigilance can be temporarily countered by the use of several different stimulant medications, it is not clear how these compounds affect complex cognitive processes in sleep-deprived individuals.
  
  
  METHODS
  We evaluated the effects of double-blind administration of 3 stimulant medications or placebo on the ability to appreciate humor in visual (cartoons) or verbal (headlines) stimuli presented on a computer screen following 49.5 hours of sleep deprivation.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-residence sleep-laboratory facility at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four healthy adults (29 men, 24 women), ranging in age from 18 to 36 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Each participant was randomly assigned to 1 of 3 stimulant medication groups, including caffeine, 600 mg, n = 12; modafinil, 400 mg, n = 11; dextroamphetamine, 20 mg, n = 16; or placebo, n = 14.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Humor appreciation for cartoon stimuli was enhanced by modafinil relative to both placebo and caffeine, but there was no effect of any stimulant medication on the appreciation of verbal humor during sleep loss. In contrast, all 3 stimulants improved psychomotor response speed, whereas only caffeine and dextroamphetamine improved ratings of subjective sleepiness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that, despite similar alerting and vigilance-promoting effects, these 3 compounds have significantly different effects on those highly complex cognitive abilities mediated by the pre-frontal cortex.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuroscience, Department of Behavioral Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. william.d.killgore@us.army.mil
authors.forename: William D S
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Killgore
authors.forename: Sharon A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McBride
authors.forename: Desiree B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Killgore
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Balkin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000077408:Modafinil; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000175:diagnosis; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D002110:Caffeine; D000077408:Modafinil; D003913:Dextroamphetamine