Imagine a pill that could make you smarter.
While the concept may sound like something out of a science-fiction movie, certain drugs exist that can do just that. These drugs are called nootropics, and many have been shown to improve concentration, focus, and memory, among other things.
Pierre Blier, a professor at the University of Ottawa and the Canada Research Chair in psychopharmacology, said most nootropics work by altering certain chemicals in the brain.
“If you look at the stimulant-like methylphenidate or Ritalin for example, this type of medication functions by increasing the release of dopamine and norepinephrine,” he said.
Dopamine and norepinephrine both act as neurotransmitters, which means they help move information between neurons, or cells in the brain. Dopamine in particular controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centres, according to a definition by Psychology Today.
Drugs like Ritalin are usually used to treat people with attention deficit disorder (ADD), but according to Blier, they can have similar effects on people without those problems.
“They certainly help these people [with ADD] function better, or calm them if there’s hyperactivity, but they also work in normal individuals and to a significant extent,” he said.
“So if they tolerate it well, the success rate is going to be pretty high,” he added.
The use of such drugs to increase productivity is prevalent in many places, according to an article published by Barbara Sahakian and Sharon Morein-Zamir in Nature magazine. Some people use nootropics as a way to counteract jetlag, increase productivity or deal with challenging problems.
A survey in Nature magazine found that 7 per cent of students used stimulants to increase their academic performance. On some campuses, the number was as high as 25 per cent.
The most popular drugs, according to Blier, are the well-known drugs Ritalin and Adderall, as their effects are the most robust.
In addition, a drug called Modafinil, which according to a study is used to treat shift work sleep disorder, is often used instead to improve memory and suppress sleep, according to an article published by the Annals of Surgery.
For many of the drugs, there are no serious side-effects when people stop taking them, Blier said.
“When you stop them, there is no real problem,” he said.
“Of course, if it’s not prescribed, the problem is if you take too high of a dose you may get some agitation.”
In their article, Sahakian and Morein-Zamir said every medication has side-effects, and the long-term side-effects of taking these kinds of nootropics haven’t been conclusively found.
“For many drugs, there is limited information on long-term effects and in many areas the findings are inconsistent,” they wrote in the article.
Despite worries about side-effects, these drugs may seem like a natural solution for anyone looking to improve their intelligence or focus. However, Blier said disregarding other concerns, there may be an ethical dilemma involved.
“[In] competitive sports, there are banned substances, and you have substances that can improve physical performance. Is that cheating? Well, the Olympic committee tends to believe it is,” he said.
“In sports where you need stable hands, like shooting or archery, beta blockers, medications used to treat hypertension are prohibited, because it can be used to help your performance,” he added.
Taking a drug like Ritalin before an exam may be the same as taking a performance-enhancing drug in sports, Blier said.
That’s why he would not recommend students ever take nootropics to increase their performance in school.
“You should be performing with the potential that you have, and not try to boost it.”
