Mind-enhancing drugs: A no-brainer?

Advocates say they are an irresistible way of improving students’ performance. Critics argue they are a dangerous fad. Jeremy Laurance explores the debate.
In the middle of the exam season, the offer of a drug that could improve results might excite students but would be likely to terrify their parents.
Now, a distinguished professor of bioethics says [...]

Pill wars: should we use drugs to boost our brains?

Taking stimulants like Ritalin, Adderall to improve concentration and job performance raises ethical questions.
It’s a play right out of the Twitter era and the family medicine cabinet. “Distracted,” at an off-Broadway theater in New York, examines the ever-shortening attention span of modern life – including the moral conundrum of whether a restive 9-year-old should be [...]

Neuro-enhancers: drug of the decade

Last term, during Dead Week, a friend of mine had an exceptional amount of work to do. A paper due for this class, a project for that class, work until 10 p.m. – one night he realized it was physically impossible to finish everything he was supposed to.
So, he took Adderall – something he’d never [...]

‘Brain Gain’ drugs increasing on college campuses

CLEVELAND — At colleges and universities across Northeast Ohio this is the grind time at the end of the semester. With term papers due and exams coming up back to back-to-back, the pressure is on for every student to perform.
For generations, coffee shops have always been popular. But today thousands of college students have found [...]