Effect of Modafinil on functional connectivity in healthy young people using resting-state fMRI data

Abstract

Background: Examining the differences in the Functional Connectivity (FC) network while using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) between two groups can expand the understanding of neural processes and help diagnose and prevent neurological progression disorders. The present study evaluated the Modafinil effect on the FC of brain Regions of Interest (ROI) among healthy young individuals between the Modafinil and placebo groups.

Method: The data used in this study were downloaded from the open fMRI site and analyzed after preprocessing. Data included brain scan images of 26 healthy young men with no history of neurological disorders. These people are divided into two groups of drugs and a placebo. The drug group was given 100 mg of Modafinil, and the placebo group was assigned the same dose. Data were analyzed using a longitudinal variance component model.

Result: After taking the drug and placebo by the two groups, the study of the difference between FC in the drug and placebo group and the baseline effect showed a statistically significant difference in one pair of ROIs. Also, in examining the difference between FC in the drug and placebo groups of the longitudinal trend, there was a statistically significant difference between 5 pairs of ROIs.

Conclusion: After taking Modafinil and placebo, it was observed that FC in most areas in the drug group increased compared to the placebo group, indicating Modafinil has cognitive enhancement properties and has a role in visual, auditory, memory learning, and self-awareness functions and enhances these functions.

Keywords: cognitive dysfunction; fMRI; functional connectivity; longitudinal model of variance component; modafinil; narcolepsy.

Figure 1

Pair ROI correlation diagrams to evaluate the main and interaction effects before taking Modafinil. A. Estimating FC baseline effects in the pair of ROIs before drug and placebo administration (the lower triangular chart shows the placebo group and the upper triangular chart shows Modafinil group). B. Estimation of longitudinal effects of FC in the pair of ROIs before drug and placebo (the lower triangular chart shows the placebo group, and the upper triangular chart shows the Modafinil group). C. Differences between the coefficients of the Modafinil group and the placebo group before taking the drug and the placebo in the FC network study (The upper triangular diagram shows the longitudinal rate of difference between the two groups in the FC network and the lower triangular diagram shows the base effect of the two groups in the FC network). D. -log10 p-values for comparing pairs of areas before drug and placebo at the longitudinal rate and baseline effect of FC (Triangular diagram above shows the -log10 p-value for the difference in the longitudinal momentum of the pair of regions in FC).

Figure 2

Pair ROI correlation diagrams to evaluate the main and interaction effects after taking Modafinil. A. The estimation of the basal effects of FC in the pair of ROIs after drug and placebo (the lower triangular diagram shows the placebo group, and the upper triangular graph shows the Modafinil group). B. Estimates of the longitudinal effects of FC in the pair of ROIs after drug and placebo (the lower triangular diagram shows the placebo group, and the upper triangular graph shows the Modafinil group). C. Differences between the coefficients of the Modafinil group and the placebo group after taking the drug and placebo (The upper triangular diagram shows the longitudinal rate of difference between the two groups in the FC network, and the lower triangular graph shows the baseline effect of the two groups in the FC network). D. The -log10 p-values for comparing the pair of regions in the longitudinal rate and the basal effect of FC after drug and placebo (Triangle diagram shows the -log10 p-values for the difference in the base and interaction affect the pair of FC regions).