Pharmacological manipulation of impulsivity: A randomized controlled trial

• Impulsivity is linked closely to addiction.
• We aimed to examine the modifiability of impulsivity.
• In a randomized control trial, we examined the effect of modafinil and atomoxetine.
• Modafinil but not atomoxetine reduced deficits in inhibitory control.

Impulsivity is a trait that is closely linked to addiction, which has been studied in personality, psychiatry and more recently in the neurocognitive arena. Recently, even obesity has been compared to food addiction with the connotation that obese individuals are impulsive in their behavior. This research is a conceptual review of the construct of impulsivity identified inhibitory control and temporal discounting as two key behavioral constructs universal to all key fields of impulsivity research. This research aimed to identify the modifiability of impulsivity through neuronal dopamine pathways through the use of two pharmaceutical agents, modafinil and atomoxetine. A randomized controlled trial design was executed to test the aforementioned neurocognitive enhancement agents (n = 20 participants receiving atomoxetine and n = 20 participants receiving modafinil) against a placebo (n = 40) in normal weight adults. The results showed that modafinil but not atomoxetine was effective in reducing deficits in inhibitory control. These findings highlight the multiconstruct nature of impulsivity and the need for psychometric tests, which capture these constructs better.