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Brain Doping: Cognition Enhancing Drugs |
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Dr. Samuel Says -
Weirdness
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Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
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Thursday, 01 May 2008 |
Oh, I like this story: Nature magazine recently released the results of a study that suggests the next doping scandal could come from a rather unlikely place -- the hallowed halls of geekdom. The magazine polled 1,400 scientists in 60 countries to determine whether the practice of "brain doping" was real. My friends: It is real.
According to the report, one in five respondents said they had used
"cognition enhancing drugs" one or more times in the past to stimulate their focus and memory.
Ritalin, or methylphenidate, was the most popular, with 62% of users
reported taking it. Other drugs on the list include the amphetamine
adderall, beta blockers such as propanolol, and alt-medications like
ginkgo and omega-3 fatty acids.
These don't quite have the skeezy glamour of street drugs, or the
heavy-duty rep of steroids, but many of them are quite serious, indeed.
Much has already been written on the dangers of adderall, for instance,
which is a psychostimulant with effects similar to cocaine. It's long
been used (and abused) as a "study drug" by college students.
Some other interesting numbers came out of the poll. Eighty percent of
respondents thought that healthy adults should be able to take
cognition-enhancing drugs if they want to, and 69% reported that they
would risk mild side effects to take such drugs themselves. Of those
who responded to a question as to where, exactly, they get their drugs
-- 52% said by "prescription" and 34 percent: "Internet."
As to intent, the most popular reasons for taking the drugs was to
improve concentration, and counteract jet lag ranked fourth. "Other"
received a few interesting reasons, such as “party”, “house cleaning,”
and “to actually see if there was any validity to the afore-mentioned
article."
The issue raises some obvious questions. If performance enhancing drugs
are verboten for professional athletes, should cognition enhancing
drugs be banned from brainier activities and competitions? In one
telling crossover example, professional poker player Paul Phillips
has claimed that the use of adderall and attention-deficit medications
made him a much better player and helped him earn more than $2.3
million in poker. The drugs improved his concentration during
high-stakes tournaments, he said, allowing him to better track all the
action at his table
Tempting. I spent some time on the pro poker tournament, until I discovered that sitting around a table all day with 10 guys wearing sunglasses isn't as exciting as it looks on TV. All things considered, I'll stick to Scrabble. And coffee.
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