News

The prestigious science journal Nature surveyed its readers to find out how many were using cognitive-enhancing drugs, and found one in five have boosted their brain power with compounds such as Ritalin.

"Poll results: look who's doping," says the headline in today's edition of the British journal. The informal Internet survey involved 1,400 people from 60 countries. Most were from the United States, but 78, or 5.5 per cent, were from Canada.

About 20 per cent of respondents said they had tried to improve their memory, concentration and focus by taking drugs for non-medical reasons.

They were asked about three drugs in particular: Ritalin, a stimulant used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; Modafinil, prescribed by doctors to treat sleep disorders but also used "off-label" to fight fatigue and jet lag, and beta blockers, which are usually prescribed to treat irregular heartbeats but can reduce anxiety.

The readers of the journal are mainly academics and scientists, but include people in other professions as well.

The survey was not random, but despite its limitations, the Internet poll will add to the growing debate over the ethics of popping brain-boosting pills: Do these kinds of drugs give professors and students who take them an unfair advantage? Are they putting their long-term health at risk to get that advantage? Is the practice comparable to athletes taking performance-enhancing drugs?

"Morally, it puts a disadvantage to people without access," said one American who took part in the poll.

But another respondent quoted in the article argued that taking the drugs could benefit humanity.

"As a professional, it is my duty to use my resources to the greatest benefit of humanity. If 'enhancers' can contribute to this humane service, it is my duty to do so."

The study didn't ask participants if they were researchers or students.

Brendan Maher, who analyzed the poll results for the journal, says demographic data allows for some assumptions. It looks, he says, as though about 19 per cent of the academics surveyed were using such drugs for non-medical purposes - the same percentage as the other participants, which included people working in the media and in education.

James Turk, executive director of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, says he isn't surprised by the results. Top performers in academia have a heavy workload, manage large labs and travel frequently.

He says he doubts the use of these kinds of drugs in academia is any higher than in the corporate world. It is totally inappropriate, he argues, to suggest that healthy researchers who take these drugs are somehow cheating.

"What we are dealing with is a society in which stress in work is increasingly common," he says.

Sharon Morein-Zamir, a behavioural neuroscientist at Cambridge University in Britain, says the survey may have attracted a disproportionate number of people who use the drugs.

"It tends to cluster around people who know about it. Some people are very savvy about it, either because they know other people or are aware of these topics, so within that group these numbers aren't surprising," Dr. Morein-Zamir says.

"But there are still areas where a lot of people don't know about it."

Is it fair? She says it depends on the situation. If 100 students taking a university entrance exam are vying for 25 places, those that take Ritalin could have an unfair advantage.

But when it comes to researchers and professors, she says, the issues are not as clear cut. The drugs can't provide the content a researcher needs for a grant proposal, she says, but they may help with the process of writing one.

In December, she and a colleague, Barbara Sahakian, wrote a commentary in Nature about the ethical questions raised by healthy individuals taking cognitive-enhancing drugs.

It was the strong response to that article that prompted the British journal to carry out its survey.

The most popular drug was Ritalin, followed by Modafinil and beta blockers. Slightly more than half obtained the drugs through prescriptions, while a third per cent said they ordered them over the Internet and 14 per cent said they bought them at the drug store.

There was a pretty even split between those who used them daily, monthly or weekly or no more than once a year, and people of all ages reported taking the pills. About half reported unpleasant side effects, including headaches, trouble sleeping, or feeling jittery or anxious.

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What they use

Methylphenidate or Ritalin

The stimulant is usually prescribed to treat attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, but it has become increasingly popular on university and college campuses for students trying to improve their concentration when they study. Side effects can include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain and shortness of breath.

Modafinil, or Provigil

It is prescribed to treat sleepiness caused by narcolepsy, but has gained popularity as a way to combat general fatigue or to get over jet lag. Side effects can include gas, constipation, back pain, sweating, itchiness, mouth sores and hives.

Beta blockers

Sold under various names, including Acebutolol (Sectral), Atenolol (Apo-atenolol) and Labetalol (Normodyne), these drugs are prescribed for cardiac arrhythmia. But because they can have an anti-anxiety effect, they are also used to quell nervousness or performance anxiety. Staff