AFRL-Sponsored Researchers Study Sleep Deprivation Published Aug. 29, 2007 By Air Force Office of Scientific Research AFOSR ARLINGTON, Va. -- AFRL-sponsored researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University completed successful studies of sleep-deprived subjects observed to sustain alertness and effective cognitive functioning after taking modafinil. The drug causes wakefulness, using distinct pathways that scientists believe perhaps increase serotonin levels in the brain stem. Though deprived of sleep for 28 hours before being administered modafinil, the test subjects afterwards performed far better on cognitive tests than members of another group, who received a placebo. Specifically, when shown a symbol and asked to type a specific number for that symbol, the test subjects' error rate was much lower than the rate of those given a placebo. These findings will benefit a number of Air Force career fields wherein members must maintain periods of sustained wakefulness. The scientists' next step is to explore how modafinil may be able to help subjects maintain an interminable state of poise and productive alertness.