Memorex

[pointilliste]

I've always been irritated by people who show cynical antipathy towards scientific advance, like the people who suggest that drug companies released the HIV virus for profiteering purposes. However an article in Nature Neuroscience online about the advancing plethora of mind-enhancing drugs, designed to improve memory and cognition from the

Comments

[sly_girl]

... got me thinking about the dangers of too
much knowledge.

I ... well ... I think I'm just gonna sit back and
savour the irony of that phrase :)

[qamar]

Shit man. To think that we're a billion miles away from each other and thinking about the same stuff. I just had this massive conversation with my dad about ADHD and the side effects of insomnia amongst kids! I almost died. Giving speed to kids that do not have a physiological problem are going to stay up on the drug!! However, if they're like Ollie, then speed will calm them down. That was the original point wasn't it? Anyway, now I find out that you can either be a kid who is hyperactive or just an introspective dreamer and diagnosed with ADHD and prescribed drugs. Are these parents surprised that their kids can now concentrate more when they are feeding them speed?

Other side effects of giving kids speed is shortness of stature. Again, I am appalled that this generation is medicated to a degree that will destroy their bodies before they've had a chance to develop normally. I have so much more to say... gah. I might come back to this post when I've finished my presentation that's due.

[laevis]

I don't know. Other than the saftey concerns, which I admit are considerable (especially in the case of misdiagnosis), I think most of the ethical problems are no different than any other performance enhancing technology. If drugs existed that could improve cognitive performance without too many side effects, I'd take them. Heck, I take one every morning; it's called caffeine. Studies show that drinking 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day enhances work performance and has very little negative effect. Do we think our employers are controlling us by providing free coffee? Ah, the peer pressure to partake in our daily drugs...