Post by Amtram on Feb 25, 2014 14:46:17 GMT -5
This post from Neurorexia actually describes how stimulants shut down excess neuronal activity. . .which is one of the reasons they work for ADHD. It poses the question:
Well, I answered from the perspective of how they affected my ADHD. Go ahead and read/comment. No, these are not "smart drugs." They're kind of "realizing potential" drugs.
Are “smart drugs” a false promise? At the moment it’s too early to tell, but the evidence seems to say “yes”. Research into the field of neuroenhancement is somewhat tempered by the surrounding ethics debate. Stimulants seem to improve some experimental task performances in a sub-population, but whether this translates to everyday cognitive function is questionable. The placebo study is especially worrisome: are everyday accounts of “feeling smarter” all in the user’s head?
einstein
Pills won’t turn me into Einstein, but can’t I have a little brain boost?
I have to admit I am surprised and somewhat disappointed by the results. Experimental data directly contradicts the slew of anecdotal stories praising Ritalin and Addy as miracle study drugs. Is it all placebo? Are some people self-medicating undiagnosed ADHD and seeing results? Do prescription stimulant abusers have lower executive function than the average experiment subjects, and hence show larger improvement (I highly doubt this, an informal poll of 1400 Nature readers – most academics – showed ~20% have used cognitive enhancers for their perceived benefits)? Of course, learning, working memory and cognitive control represent just a few aspects of cognition and intelligence. To sing the old tune: more work needs to be done.
Have you ever taken prescription stimulants? Did they work for you? Do you think you were only experiencing a placebo effect? I’d love to hear your story!
einstein
Pills won’t turn me into Einstein, but can’t I have a little brain boost?
I have to admit I am surprised and somewhat disappointed by the results. Experimental data directly contradicts the slew of anecdotal stories praising Ritalin and Addy as miracle study drugs. Is it all placebo? Are some people self-medicating undiagnosed ADHD and seeing results? Do prescription stimulant abusers have lower executive function than the average experiment subjects, and hence show larger improvement (I highly doubt this, an informal poll of 1400 Nature readers – most academics – showed ~20% have used cognitive enhancers for their perceived benefits)? Of course, learning, working memory and cognitive control represent just a few aspects of cognition and intelligence. To sing the old tune: more work needs to be done.
Have you ever taken prescription stimulants? Did they work for you? Do you think you were only experiencing a placebo effect? I’d love to hear your story!
Well, I answered from the perspective of how they affected my ADHD. Go ahead and read/comment. No, these are not "smart drugs." They're kind of "realizing potential" drugs.