-brain pills- on the run..

[de.malady]

Brain pills are coming soon

CAN’T remember phone numbers, worried about exams or want to stay up late but avoid drowsiness in the morning? In the future, the answer may be simple; just pop a pill.
Scientists say safe and non-addictive drugs to improve memory or increase intelligence are coming soon.
Drugs that work on the brain are already common. Many people can begin their days only with the mind-sharpening effects of coffee (caffeine) or cigarettes (nicotine).

Now Brain-enhancing drugs are likely to become popular with people looking to improve their memory, planning or judgement, said the British Government’s chief scientific adviser Sir David King.
Ritalin is usually prescribed for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. It is sometimes used by healthy people to enhance their mental performance.
Modafinil, a drug developed to treat narcolepsy, has been shown to reduce impulsiveness and help people focus on problems.

"It improves working memory, it gives you an extra digit or two,” said Trevor Robbins, an experimental psychologist at Cambridge University.
“It also improves your planning when you’re doing complex, chess-like problems. It makes you more reflective about a problem: you take a bit longer but you get it right.”

Modafinil has already been used by the US military to keep soldiers awake and alert. Some scientists are considering its usefulness in helping shift workers deal with their changing working hours.
In the long term, drugs that can delete painful memories could also be used routinely.
“We are looking 20-25 years ahead," said Robbins.
“Basic science is showing that it is possible to call up a memory, knock it on the head and produce selective amnesia. That has obvious uses for people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Of course, the new brain-enhancing drugs are not without risk. They raise ethical, social and practical issues. Society must decide how to use the new drugs, scientists say.
For example, if drugs to improve exam performance became widespread, students might find themselves being tested for drugs before exams.
“It’s a new twist on drug-testing,” said Professor Gerry stemson of Imperial College in London. “Is it a fair advantage or an unfair advantage?”
[21st century weekly feb 06]]