Mind doping: The next generation of enhancement

Several news article focus on 'mind doping' or maybe we should call them "Cognition Enhancing Drugs (CEDs)'.

Nature calls the drugs 'Professor's Little Helper'.  Stories also in The London Times, and the Atlantic.  Nature states:

Today there are several drugs on the market that improve memory, concentration, planning and reduce impulsive behaviour and risky decision-making, and many more are being developed. Doctors already prescribe these drugs to treat cognitive disabilities and improve quality of life for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders and brain injury. The prescription use of such drugs is being extended to other conditions, including shift-workers. Meanwhile, off-label and non-prescription use by the general public is becoming increasingly commonplace.

Although the appeal of pharmaceutical cognitive enhancers — to help one study longer, work more effectively or better manage everyday stresses — is understandable, potential users, both healthy and diseased, must consider the pros and cons of their choices. To enable this, scientists, doctors and policy-makers should provide easy access to information about the advantages and dangers of using cognitive-enhancing drugs and set out clear guidelines for their future use. To trigger broader discussion of these issues we offer the following questions, to which readers can respond in an online forum. Now, on to the questions.

Mind Hacks describes things this way:

These are the same drugs that have caused concern about their level of use among students, chiefly modafinil (Provigil) and methylphenidate (Ritalin), although other drugs such as Alzheimer's medication donepezil (Aricept), non-amphetamine ADHD drug atomoxetine (Strattera) are also candidates.

The issues are delineated:

Many of the ethical concerns centre around a potential future where brain enhancing interventions are largely available to the wealthy, leading to a 'brain gap' where the less well off will have relatively poorer mental functioning because they can't access the same cognitive benefits.

Not to mention cheating.  As with HGH, only the relatively wealthy can benefit from this sophisticated cheating.

So there is something to 'think' about this year at holiday time.

Here's wishing everyone very happy and much enhanced holidays.

Comments

[Will any off thease drugs help memory function]

Will any or any drugs help regenerate or alert the mind after drug abuse damaged the brains alertfulness and higher memory function as well as having ADD as well as being disabeled due to drug abuse

[Brunner Markus]

Hello, if anyone needs Ritalin,

just send a mail to

[email protected]

best regards

markus

[Mahidhar Reddy]

It's a miracle.....praise the lord!! an article about mind doping....Much more relevant to medicine than steroids, which will never go away. But as Dr. Michael Yessis says, so few people have even worked to fulfill their genetic potential that using steroids is almost pointless. What we gain from their use in the short run invariably ends up shortening careers because of the imbalanced muscle and tendon development that ensues, among other things. But as an MD, you already knew that.

Good article, but still not enough criticism of your ilk (and soon to be my ilk).

The solution to the steroid issue is: Read How Doctors Think by Harvard Physician Jerome Groopman, MD and the section on spinal surgeons. Most spinal surgeries are basically fraudulent, so what does an ethical spinal surgeon do? Do the surgery himself so that some less shady doctor doesn't try to do it themselves. Presumably the patient is in so much pain, that their mind is made up that surgery is the only alternative. So the docs who have a financial benefit do the surgery to prevent having someone else do it and screw it up.

A similar policy could be used with steroids. Keep people from screwing themselves up too badly. After all, isn't that what we do with type II diabetes....tight control of blood sugar??? With drugs??? that have side effects for many??? and increased additional risks???.....Oh but since that's legal, it must be ok.....steroids.....oh those are BAD because they are ILLEGAL

REALITY CHECK: many MD's are on PEDs to improve academic performance. Stop being an apologist