Scientists use drugs to increase brainpower

According to a survey conducted by Nature, the UK's leading scientific newspaper, 20% of scientists admitted to using drugs that boosted mental activity for non-medical reasons.

Most scientists belong to a group of drug users who say they use it to 'increase concentration' and about 60% say they use it on a weekly or daily basis. 1,427 participants - mostly in the US - fill out an informal online survey posted on the 'Nature Network' forum, a talk page for scientists run by the Nature Publishing Group.

More than a third said they would feel pressured to give their children such drugs if they knew other children at school were also taking them. According to Ruth Francis, who is in charge of press relations for the group, told AFP that 'These are intellectuals working at scientific research institutes.'

This survey targets three drugs commonly found on prescriptions or via the Internet.

Ritalin , the trade name of methylphenidate, is a stimulant drug used to treat attention deficit disorders, especially in children. Modafinil - advertised as Provigil - is prescribed to treat sleep disorders but is also effective in treating common fatigue and jet lag.

Both drugs are quite common on university campuses, which are used as 'learning aids' to enhance learning and alertness.

Brian Doyle, a psychologist at Georgetown University Medical Center, told an American newspaper. ' It doesn't seem to be a problem because most students use drugs not because of addiction but to learn. Better practice. When the exam passes, they return to normal and stop taking drugs. '

Other experts expressed concern about the results of the investigation. Wilson Compton, director of the epidemiological and prevention research program at the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), told AFP 'It alarms us that scientists, like many people another, looking for a shortcut. ' He also noted that Ritalin can be addictive even when it is proven safe and effective when used on a prescription.

The third group of drugs in the survey is beta blockers , prescribed for people with arrhythmias and quite common to many people because of its anti-anxiety effect.

Of the 288 scientists who reported taking one of the three drugs apart from medical reasons, 3/5 used Ritalin, nearly half of Provigil. Only 15% use beta blockers. More than a third buy medicine over the Internet, the rest buy at the pharmacy.

Other reasons for using drugs are focused on special cases and against aircraft fatigue.

Nearly 70% of the 1,258 participants who answered the question said they would be willing to skip mild side effects to 'boost brain energy' by using cognitive improvement drugs. Half of people taking drugs report effects such as headaches, restlessness, anxiety and insomnia.

Wilson of NIDA expressed his surprise at the rate of drug abuse given, but cautioned that the study did not meet strict scientific research standards. 'This is a voluntary online vote. There may be hype. '

But previous works have shown that, when the boundary between healing and enhancing the ability to start fading, the use of drugs that improve working ability continues to receive cultural consent. In his commentary, Nature says ' like plastic surgery, using cognitive enhancers is likely to increase when concerns about bioethics and psychology are solved. decided.

In the survey, 80% of scientists - even non-drug users - protect the right to 'be healthy people' to use drugs as a tool to increase their ability to work, and more than half said work Using them should not be banned, even for college entrance exams.

More than 57% of participants are 35 years of age or older.