Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25222185›Full record

Trial reportJournal of clinical psychopharmacology2014

Hemodynamic profiles and tolerability of modafinil in the treatment of postural tachycardia syndrome: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

John Kpaeyeh, Philip L Mar, Vidya Raj, Bonnie K Black, Amy C Arnold, Italo Biaggioni, Cyndya A Shibao, Sachin Y Paranjape, William D Dupont, David Robertson and 1 more

Open access · greenAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Systematic literature review: treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Cognitive and psychological issues in postural tachycardia syndrome.Autonomic neuroscience : basic & clinical · 2018
    Review
  7. Article
  8. Stimulant medication and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome: a tale of two cases.Clinical autonomic research : official journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society · 2016
    Article
  9. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

John KpaeyehFrom the Departments of *Medicine, †Psychiatry, ‡Pharmacology, §Biostatistics, ∥Neurology, Autonomic Dysfunction Center, Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN; and ¶Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
Philip L Mar
Vidya Raj
Bonnie K Black
Amy C Arnold
Italo Biaggioni
Cyndya A Shibao
Sachin Y Paranjape
William D Dupont
David Robertson
Satish R Raj
Vanderbilt University · USLibin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta · CA

Funding

The Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research (VICTR)UL1TR000445 · NCATS · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BERNARD, GORDON RAPHAEL · 2012 to 2016
$41.4M
Structural genomics of norepinephrine transportersP01HL056693 · NHLBI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI ROBERTSON, DAVID HERLIE · 1997 to 2016
$30.8M
Training CoreU54NS065736 · NINDS · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI BIAGGIONI, ITALO · 2009 to 2018
$11.6M
Aldosterone and Sodium Regulation in Postural Tachycardia SyndromeR01HL102387 · NHLBI · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI GARLAND, EMILY M · 2010 to 2014
$2.1M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000445NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL056693NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL56693NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL102387NINDS NIH HHS U54 NS065736
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPostural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is characterized clinically not only by an exaggerated increase in heart rate (HR), but an associated cognitive impairment that disables many patients. Modafinil might be effective in improving the cognitive symptoms, but modafinil may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system and worsen tachycardia in POTS. We tested the hypothesis that modafinil would worsen tachycardia and orthostatic symptoms in POTS.

methodsPatients with POTS (n = 54) underwent a randomized crossover trial with modafinil 100 mg versus placebo. Heart rate and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were measured seated and standing before modafinil or placebo administration and then hourly for 4 hours.

resultsOver 4 hours, standing HR was not significantly different between the modafinil and placebo groups (analysis of variance [ANOVA] Pdrug = 0.328), but seated SBP was significantly higher in the modafinil group (mean [SD], 109 [12] mm Hg vs 104 [10] mm Hg; P = 0.004). Modafinil also significantly increased both the seated SBP (ANOVA Pdrug = 0.004) and the standing SBP (ANOVA Pdrug = 0.041) over time. There was no significant difference between modafinil and placebo over the 4-hour period with regard to POTS symptom burden scores (14 [12] vs 14 [12]; P = 0.962).

conclusionsModafinil did not significantly worsen standing HR or acute orthostatic symptoms in patients with POTS compared with the placebo group and improved upright blood pressure. Therefore, modafinil could be tested as a potential treatment for the cognitive impairment in POTS.

Indexed as

AdultBenzhydryl CompoundsCross-Over StudiesFemaleHeart RateHemodynamicsHumansModafinilPostural Orthostatic Tachycardia SyndromeTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultBenzhydryl CompoundsModafinil

Identifiers

PMID25222185
PMCPMC4239166
OpenAlexW2410916369

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.