Sex differences in cognitive estimation during sleep deprivation: effects of stimulant countermeasures.
Stimulant medications restore simple alertness during sleep loss, but it is not clear how they affect complex executive functions, particularly in light of sex differences in cerebral organization. The effectiveness of caffeine, modafinil, dextroamphetamine, or placebo for sustaining performance on the Biber Cognitive Estimation Test (BCET) was compared in 29 men and 25 women following 46 hr of sleep deprivation. Stimulants had differential effects on BCET performance as a function of the sex of the subjects. Women receiving placebo or caffeine scored significantly worse than males, while modafinil and dextroamphetamine were effective at sustaining BCET performance of men and women.
Department of Behavioral Biology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Belmont, MA, USA. killgore@mclean.harvard.edu
William D S
WD
Killgore
Alison E
AE
Muckle
Nancy L
NL
Grugle
Desiree B
DB
Killgore
Thomas J
TJ
Balkin
D000241:Adenosine / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003913:Dextroamphetamine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D000077408:Modafinil; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010919:Placebos; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D010919:Placebos; D002110:Caffeine; D000241:Adenosine; D000077408:Modafinil; D003913:Dextroamphetamine; D004298:Dopamine