Chemical Cognitive Enhancers

Pharmaceutical amphetamines (such as Adderall and Ritalin)

These drugs have been used withouit a prescription, for their tirednessreducing and concentration-enhancing effects, by about 5% of students in U.S. colleges, according to a recent study, with some colleges reporting rates as high as 25%.

Modafinil

Modafinil is a nonamphetamine stimulant, marketed to help people with narcolepsy stay awake. It has been reported as popular with otherwise healthy individuals who are using it to maintain concentration levels and alertness during several days of wakefulness.

Ampakines

Ampakines are a class of drugs known to affect the sensitivity of the brain to a neurotransmitter called glutamate, a chemical known to be important in fast information transfer and memory formation. These drugs are still in development, but one, known as CX516 and currently targeted at treating schizophrenia, has been shown to improve cognitive performance in the elderly^, and other ampakines, such as CX717, are being touted as future cognition-enhancing drugs.

MEM 1003

MEM 1003 is a substance being developed by a company advised by the Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel. Although few details are available, it is to be marketed for clinically diagnosable conditions, but also for "age-associated cognitive decline" in healthy individuals. In other words, it's a chemical pick-me-up for those experiencing the nor¬ mal decline in memory that typically occurs past middle age. The fact ous illness suggests that cognitive enhancers may become increasingly ous illness suggests that cognitive enhancers may become increasingly mamstream.

Drugs to improve cognition.