Cognitive Enhancers

Posted on April 11, 2008
Filed Under Politics, Science |

0F50B3FB-4966-4DDB-A09A-9A08AC1C5587.jpgEveryone is talking about Nature’s new story on cognitive enhancers. Basically a study of scientists who had used drugs to enhance mental performance.

One in five respondents said they had used drugs for non-medical reasons to stimulate their focus, concentration or memory. Use did not differ greatly across age-groups (see line graph, right), which will surprise some.

Over at John Hawks he talks about it. So does Gene Expression, Blog Around the Clock, and probably others.

My view? First off all drugs have side effects. You’re an idiot to use them without acknowledging that. While we expect this from idiot kids it’s surprising in adults. Yes it’s not surprising kids abuse Adderall. That’s the drug used for ADHD that basically wakes you up and improves your concentration. Great for late night studying for finals and for taking the test. But of course there are plenty of new drugs coming out - many still being studied - that are available on the black market. Those are probably the stupidest to use since no one knows their side effects. But those are also sometimes the ones with the biggest effect on cognitive performance. Think steroids for the brain. However just like steroids have all sorts of problems I suspect these would as well.

Having said all that it seems like some of the complaints are less about side effects and more about unfairness. It parallels the use of enhancing drugs in sports. However intellectual endeavors aren’t sports. (And, given that to even compete at a top level in most sports requires drugs I think most sport competitions have become pointless and ought just be abandoned - not team sports like football but a lot of sports like cycling, track and field, and the like) With regards to intellectual performance though already it’s largely determined by DNA. And say what you will but DNA ain’t fair. It’s not fair that Richard Feynman can think in ways I can’t.

If I’m a professor who needs some help with my project what’s wrong with that? So long as I know the risks of side effects who is to say it is wrong? (Well, the government, but half the stuff they say is wrong is silly) I have a hard time railing about a drug given to so many kids simply because they are hyper though. It just seems weird somehow.

As an aside, I found this link to purported “safe” enhancers. Pt 1 and Pt 2. I have no intention of trying any of these.

I should note that the funniest thing was that some people reported trying these drugs to see if what they read in Nature worked. Whaa???

Comments

2 Responses to “Cognitive Enhancers”

As a longtime user of neuropsychiatric medications (with very real and serious side effects), and a heavy coffee drinker (more in the ballpark of these purported “enhancers”), I’m quite confident there is no such thing as a “smart drug”. It’s really pretty neuroscientifically obvious that your brain will work best longest if you leave it alone; if it starts doing things that you or others find objectionable, then maybe it’s time to think about medication, but these hopes of improvement are illusions leading people to take unnecessary physical risks.

I don’t think that there is a “smart drug” but obviously you are going to do very different on a test if you are tired vs. if you are not. But even those drugs (the Ritalin and Adderall) don’t help you if you don’t get good sleep. At best they postpone it plus have other side effects. Especially if abused long term. (I’ve heard too many horror stories of people who were prescribed them as kids until they finally got off them as adults)

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