Recent times have seen an increase in intake, among students, of psychiatric prescription drugs to enhance cognitive performance.
This apparently was aimed not at getting a high but at higher grades in college or university. A debate has been raging over whether these drugs are a feasible option for people to tackle the daily pressures of life. A recent commentary by Henry Greely of Stanford Law School in California and colleagues published in Nature support the use of drugs that boost brain power.
Brain boosting drugs
Adderall (mixed amphetamine salts) and Ritalin (methyphenidate) are prescribed generally for people suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but they also seem to be helping normal people concentrate and focus their attention. Provigil (modafinil), prescribed for sleep disorders, is also being used by healthy people who need to stay alert when sleep-deprived. Unlike Adderall and Ritalin, Provigil prescriptions are not common, and the drug is consequently rare in college black markets, but some adults seem to be obtaining this drug from their physicians or online for enhancement purposes. Aricept (donapezil), used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, might also cause modest degrees of memory enhancement by raising the levels of a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine, in the brain. Several other compounds are being studied right now, but it is too early to say whether any of these new drugs will be safe and effective.
Use of brain boosting drugs common among students
According to a survey, almost 7% of students in US universities have used prescription stimulants for cognitive enhancement, and on some campuses, up to 25% of students have used them in the past year. With more effective brain boosting pills being developed, demand could probably increase also among middle-aged people who feel the need to revive their memory power and among people bogged down by the pressures of mutiltasking.
Benefits and drawbacks
Recent research has shown that there are beneficial neural changes prompted by exercise, nutrition and sleep, as well as instruction and reading. Greely et al. opine that cognitive-enhancing drugs seem morally equivalent to other, more familiar, enhancements.
According to them, neither is this scenario like steroids and sports, nor is enhancement a ‘dirty word’. He and his colleagues argue that these drugs are no different from other strategies that we already use to improve our cognition, like a good night’s sleep or a strong cup of coffee.
According to neuroethicist Julian Savulescu of the University of Oxford, brain boosting medications could give an edge to nations whose citizens opt to raise their intelligence.
However, several concerns have been raised about the use of brain-boosters:
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Wider use of stimulants could lead more people to become addicted to them.
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People could get subtly coerced to use these drugs; for e.g., parents who see children using these drugs faring better than their own children.
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If countries provide a basic package of health care to all its citizens, it might be difficult to afford inclusion of brain boosting drugs; and if they have to be bought separately, it could lead to promotion of societal inequalities.
Action points
The first step towards reaping the benefits of brain boosting drugs is understanding the issues involved and tackling them effectively. Greely et al. although they support the use of these drugs, call for the following action points:
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More research into the use, benefits and risks of such drugs.
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Policies to guard against people being forced to take them.
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Steps to prevent the exacerbation of socio-economic inequalities based on accessibility.
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Expansive policies put in place by doctors, educators etc on the use of such drugs by healthy people.
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Legislative action enabling drug companies to market the drugs to healthy people provided they meet regulatory standards for safety and effectiveness.
Conclusion
Cognitive enhancement, like all new technologies, can be used well or poorly. In the current competitive world, cognitive enhancement tools, including pharmacological agents, would not only improve quality of life and lead to extended work productivity, but will also keep normal and pathological age-related cognitive declines at bay. Brain boosting drugs, when used judiciously, will benefit both the individual and society and can be welcomed, according to the study by Greely et al. The commentary makes a convincing case and the debate on the use of these drugs should be opened up for public scrutiny and discussion, says Erik Parens, a senior research scholar at the Hastings Center and a bioethics expert in Garrison, New York.
Whatever said and done, it is important that before these drugs can be made easily available, as cognition enhancers, there should be immense research, involving large multi-ethnic populations, to prove their efficacy and safety.
via http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk/brain-boosting-drugs-%E2%80%93-a-viable-option.html
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