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Modafinil Is A Stimulant Drug Marketed As A 'wakefulness Promoting Agent' And Is One Of The Stimulants Used In The Treatment Of Narcolepsy. Narcolepsy Is Caused By Dysfunction Of A Family Of Wakefulness-promoting And Sleep-suppressing Peptides, The Orexins, Whose Neurons Are Activated By Modafinil. The Prexin Neuron Activation Is Associated With Psychoactivation And Euphoria. Although In Vitro Studies Have Shown It To Inhibit The Reuptake Of Dopamine By Binding To The Dopamine Reuptake Pump And Lead To An Increase In Extra Cellular Dopamine. Modafinil Activates Glutamatergic Circuits While Inhibiting Gaba. It Has Also Seen Widespread Off-label Use As A Purported Cognition-enhancing Agent. The Mechanism By Which Modafinil Acts On The Brain Has Been Difficult To Determine. It Acts As A Blocker Of A Type Of Molecule Called The Dopamine Transporter, A Mode Of Action Shared With Stimulants Such As Amphetamine And Methylphenidate, But Its Influence Is Relatively Weak And Does Not Easily Explain The Observed Effects Of Modafinil On Wakefulness And Cognition.
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