The effects of modafinil, a vigilance-enhancing drug, on brain metabolism were investigated directly in situ by the 2D COSY H-1-NMR spectroscopy in anesthetized rats. Modafinil (600 mg/kg, i.p.) induced significant increases in both aspartate (72% +/- 15%) and glutamate-glutamine pool (28% +/- 8%) simultaneously with increases in inositol (51% +/- 19%) and creatine-phosphocreatine pool (47% +/- 14%) in comparison with control values (P < 0.05; n = 5). These results suggest that the awakening properties of modafinil could be mediated by metabolic activation.