Neuroscience
Outram SM. The use of methylphenidate among students: The future of enhancement? Journal of Medical Ethics. 2010 Apr, 36(4), 198-202.
Novel Tech Ethics, Dalhousie University, 1234 LeMarchant Street, Halifax NS B3H 3P7, Canada.
During the past few years considerable debate has arisen within academic journals with respect to the use of smart drugs or cognitive enhancement pharmaceuticals. The following paper seeks to examine the foundations of this cognitive enhancement debate using the example of methylphenidate use among college students. The argument taken is that much of the enhancement debate rests upon inflated assumptions about the ability of such drugs to enhance and over-estimations of either the size of the current market for such drugs or the rise in popularity as drugs for enhancing cognitive abilities. This article provides an overview of the empirical evidence that methylphenidate has the ability to significantly improve cognitive abilities in healthy individuals, and examines whether the presumed uptake of the drug is either as socially significant as implied or growing to the extent that it requires urgent regulatory attention. In addition, it reviews the evidence of side-effects for the use of methylphenidate which may be an influential factor in whether an individual decides to use such drugs. The primary conclusions are that neither drug efficacy, nor the benefit-to-risk balance, nor indicators of current or growing demand provide sufficient evidence that methylphenidate is a suitable example of a cognitive enhancer with mass appeal. In light of these empirically based conclusions, the article discusses why methylphenidate might have become seen as a smart drug or cognitive enhancer.
PMID: 20338928 [PubMed - in process]
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Neuroscience
Neuropsychology Abstract of the Day: Cognitive Enhancement
Outram SM. The use of methylphenidate among students: The future of enhancement? Journal of Medical Ethics. 2010 Apr, 36(4), 198-202.
Novel Tech Ethics, Dalhousie University, 1234 LeMarchant Street, Halifax NS B3H 3P7, Canada.
During the past few years considerable debate has arisen within academic journals with respect to the use of smart drugs or cognitive enhancement pharmaceuticals. The following paper seeks to examine the foundations of this cognitive enhancement debate using the example of methylphenidate use among college students. The argument taken is that much of the enhancement debate rests upon inflated assumptions about the ability of such drugs to enhance and over-estimations of either the size of the current market for such drugs or the rise in popularity as drugs for enhancing cognitive abilities. This article provides an overview of the empirical evidence that methylphenidate has the ability to significantly improve cognitive abilities in healthy individuals, and examines whether the presumed uptake of the drug is either as socially significant as implied or growing to the extent that it requires urgent regulatory attention. In addition, it reviews the evidence of side-effects for the use of methylphenidate which may be an influential factor in whether an individual decides to use such drugs. The primary conclusions are that neither drug efficacy, nor the benefit-to-risk balance, nor indicators of current or growing demand provide sufficient evidence that methylphenidate is a suitable example of a cognitive enhancer with mass appeal. In light of these empirically based conclusions, the article discusses why methylphenidate might have become seen as a smart drug or cognitive enhancer.
PMID: 20338928 [PubMed - in process]
- Cognitive Enhancement And Neurotech
Chris Chatham at Developing Intelligence posed a few thoughtful questions today on cognitive enhancement. Are "cognitive enhancement" technologies overhyped? If there is real potential for cognitive enhancement, what are the implications? Would you use...
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PHARMACOTHERAPY AND THE FUTURE OF THE DRUG WAR - a report by the Center for Cognitive Liberty and Ethics Summary: Over the next decade an increasing number of new "pharmacotherapy" medications will become available with the potential to tremendously impact...
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The cognitive impact of antiepileptic drugs Ther Adv Neurol Disord. 2011 Nov; 4(6): 385-407 Eddy CM, Rickards HE, Cavanna AE Abstract Effective treatment of epilepsy depends on medication compliance across a lifetime, and studies indicate that drug tolerability...
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THURSDAY: From The Washington Post website:Problem Found With Potential ADHD Patch The Associated Press Thursday, December 1, 2005; 3:01 PM WASHINGTON -- A patch developed to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children received a negative...
- Cognition-enhancer Pharmaceuticals
A new report, from Britain, on trends and future possibilities for cognitive-enhancing medications (sometimes referred to as "cosmetic neurology, " "nootropics," and "smart drugs") has been released. From the BBC:Brain-boost drugs 'to be common'...