The use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by both ill and healthy individuals raises ethical questions that should not be ignored, argue Barbara Sahakian and Sharon Morein-Zamir.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Relevant articles
Open Access articles citing this article.
-
Human Enhancement Without Organizational Knowledge and by Organizational Order
Journal of Cognitive Enhancement Open Access 02 December 2023
-
Non-invasive, opsin-free mid-infrared modulation activates cortical neurons and accelerates associative learning
Nature Communications Open Access 12 May 2021
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Comas-Herrera, A., Wittenberg, R., Pickard, L., Knapp, M. & MRC-CFAS. PSSRU Discussion Paper 1728 (2003).
Wu, E. Q. et al. J. Clin. Psychiatry 66, 1122–1129 (2005).
Davidson, M. & Keefe, R. S. Schizophr. Res. 17, 123–129 (1995).
Morein-Zamir, S., Turner, D. C. & Sahakian, B. J. Schizophr. Bull. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbm090 (2007).
Turner, D. C. et al. Neuropsychopharmacol. 29, 1363–1373 (2004).
Barkley, R. A. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment 3rd edn (Guilford, New York, 2006).
Swanson, J. M. et al. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry 46, 1015–1027 (2007).
Farah, M. J. et al. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 5, 421–425 (2004).
Lorist, M. M. & Tops, M. Brain Cogn. 53, 82–94 (2003).
Elliott, R. et al. Psychopharmacol. 131, 196–206 (1997).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
Barbara Sahakian consults for several pharmaceutical companies and for Cambridge Cognition. She also has shares in CeNeS.
Additional information
Join the discussion at: http://network.nature.com/forums/naturenewsandopinion/816
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sahakian, B., Morein-Zamir, S. Professor's little helper. Nature 450, 1157–1159 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/4501157a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4501157a
This article is cited by
-
Methylphenidate undermines or enhances divergent creativity depending on baseline dopamine synthesis capacity
Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
-
Human Enhancement Without Organizational Knowledge and by Organizational Order
Journal of Cognitive Enhancement (2023)
-
Non-invasive, opsin-free mid-infrared modulation activates cortical neurons and accelerates associative learning
Nature Communications (2021)
-
Psychiatric Prescribing in Child Welfare: Barriers to Evidence-Based Practice and an Agenda for Reform
Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal (2021)
-
Is Methylphenidate Beneficial and Safe in Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement?
CNS Drugs (2020)