Plea over cognitive-enhancing drugs
More research is needed to establish the possible long-term consequences of healthy people taking cognitive-enhancing drugs to sharpen up their mental performance, two Cambridge University neuroscientists have said. Writing in The Lancet Psychiatry medical journal, the experts called on the Government, pharmaceutical industry and medical organisations to join forces to investigate the dangers and benefits of the substances. One of the authors, Dr Sharon Morein-Zamir, said: "Present cognitive-enhancing drugs have wide-ranging effects and side effects and are not predictable. We also know next to nothing about their long-term effects in healthy people." Examples of cognitive-enhancing drugs include nicotine and caffeine, but also medicines meant to treat conditions such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) and modafinil (Provigil). Ritalin is prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Provigil to stimulate wakefulness in people suffering from sleep disorders such as narcolepsy. Co-author Professor Barbara Sahakian pointed out that there was little data on the extent of cognitive-enhancer use. In the US, the proportion of students using the drugs has been estimated at between 5% and 35%, but this could be the tip of the iceberg, according to the researchers. Little was known about the use of the drugs in professional and older populations. "We simply do not know enough about how many healthy people are using cognitive-enhancing drugs, in what ways and why," said Prof Sahakian. The availability of cognitive-enhancing drugs and their use was likely to grow "substantially", said the experts, who argued the case for clear regulatory guidelines.