An up and coming craze particularly among students is the taking of cognitive enhancing drugs (also called smart drugs or nootropics). Cognition can be defined as the processes an organism uses to organize information. This includes acquiring information (perception), selecting (attention), representing (understanding) and retaining (memory) information, and using it to guide behaviour (reasoning and coordination of motor outputs. Drugs that are being taken to achieve cognitive enhancement include methylphenidate (Ritalin), modafinil and piracetam, these drugs are usually prescribed to individuals who suffer from a condition that effect there cognitive ability, and methylphenidate for example is used as a treatment for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHA). Methylphenidate and other stimulants work by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain; dopamine is a neurotransmitter which is responsible for the pleasure, movement and attention processes . A newer drug, Modafinil (Prodigal) has also shown enhancement potential. Modafinil is approved for the treatment of fatigue caused by narcolepsy, sleep apnoea and shift-work disorder. It is currently prescribed off label for a wide range of other conditions involving fatigue along with a number of healthy people whom need to stay alert and awake when sleep deprived, such as doctors on night call . Healthy individuals use these to improve their attention span and alertness, particularly those who are writing essays or studying and taking exams. But abuse of smart drugs are not just limited to education and academia in 2004 American sprinter Kelli White received a two year ban as she used modafinil during the world championships  , smart drugs are also abused by those with eating disorders as an appetite suppressant.

Speaking at the Royal Institute of Great Britain , Professor Sahakian  delivered a widely publicised lecture on cognitive enhancement and its ethical implications for society, particularly in regard to the increasing use of cognitive enhancing drugs in school-age children, young adults and academic staff at University. Professor Sahakian feels that safety must be our up most thought when talking about nootropics "It's a real worry that students are taking these drugs, as we just don't know whether they are safe in the long term. They're so new. How could we know?"  .  This view is echoed by Universities UK, the body representing the heads of British universities, which says it has "grave concerns about students taking drugs not prescribed to them", because it "poses health risks to those students". This being said positions on smart drugs are being strongly advocated in the academic world on both sides of the debate. Importantly, however few efforts have been made towards asking direct questions of those involved.
An interesting somewhat ‘off the cuff’ survey was conducted by the journal nature in 2008, they asked readers if they had taken any cognitive enhancing drugs, of the 1400 respondents one in five admitted to taking these substances. Most commonly were methylphenidate and modafinil (62% and 44% respectively) .

Some academics state that as smart drugs have been deemed safe for human use as a treatment then they should be made freely available for nonmedical uses. However Macabe et al  discovered that one of the main reasons for college students using smart drugs in America was not because they were feeling the pressure of obtaining high grades but that they had been partying too much that they needed the drugs to catch up on their work load.

It can be argued that using smart drugs is a natural progression in human development; people already take supplements such as those high in fish oil, regular exercise, a good diet and enough sleep in order to improve their cognitive ability. Caffeine tablets and drinks high in caffeine are a common study aid among students and professionals with long work hours so isn’t a drug which is deemed safe for those that need it medically just the next step? If smart drugs did become freely available for nonmedical uses it would be wise for those individuals using the drugs to take them under medical supervision like any other prescription drug, however this would cause more unnecessary strain on GPs and the health service. There is also the possibility that smart drugs could be sold with high tax creating an extra income for governments and reliving some financial strain, but would this be going too far, then again cigarettes and alcohol have negative health implications yet the government still continue to benefit from this drugs.  

The main reasoning behind wanting to make prescription drugs freely available is that it allows those who want to reach academic greatness should be allowed to do so using smart drugs. But then shouldn’t those who wish to ‘get high’ and go ‘on trips’ be allowed to do this too, hence requiring the legalisation of more illicit drugs, as well as the fact that as with cannabis many who begin on the more softer drugs begin the slippery slope into drug dependency.  

Would these smart drugs actually be used to gain intellectual achievement or will they just be another drug out in the market to be used and abused. Surely those that are truly smart would want to gain credit on their own merit not with the help of prescription medication to enhance cognition.

References

1. J. Minzenberg & C. Carter. Neruropsychopharmacology 33, 1477 – 1502 (2008)
 

2. Morein-Zamir S and Sahakian B, Neuroethical issues in cognitive enhancement, Journal of Psychopharmacology, volume 0 issue 00 pages 1-8, 2010.
 

3. Are 'smart drugs' safe for students? This article appeared on p1 of the EducationGuardian section of the Guardian on Tuesday 6 April 2010
 

4. Anon (2008) Can a pill make you clever? The Lancet, Volume 371, Issue 9627, Page 1812, 31
 

5. Teter CJ, McCabe SE, LaGrange K, et al. Illicit use of specific prescription stimulants among college students: prevalence, motives, and routes of administration.Pharmacotherapy 2006;26:1501–10.

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