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VOL.452 NO.7188 DATED 10 APRIL 2008
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Nature survey reveals significant use of cognition-enhancing drugs by academics
In January, Nature launched a survey into readers’ use of cognition-enhancing drugs. The hotly anticipated results are now published – and there are some surprises. One in five respondents to the survey had used these drugs, mainly to improve concentration. The most popular is the campus ‘study aid’ Ritalin (methylphenidate), followed by the stimulant Provigil (modafinil) and then blood-pressure drugs called beta blockers, such as propanolol, that reduce anxiety.
Four-fifths of respondents thought that healthy adults should be allowed to take such drugs if they want to, and almost 70% said they would personally take them. “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 take them,” according to a reader from the United States.
Revealingly, although most people believed that children should be protected from such drugs, one-third admitted they would feel pressure to give them to their own children if other children were taking them.
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