Brain Doping pills barely help students

Brain doping hardly increases student performance, if only for a short time

07/13/2012

Brain doping is becoming more and more popular among students. Often learners justify the use of drugs or illegal drugs to improve performance with the growing pressure on universities to perform. However, experts warn against the unknown long-term effects of prescription psychostimulants and illegal substances such as amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy.

Brain doping is part of everyday life for many students
For Sarah F. from Hannover Ritalin is just as stressful learning phases as strong coffee. „I can concentrate longer and I'm not so tired anymore“, explains the student. The drug is finally approved for children and therefore could not be too dangerous. „Of course, I do not know how the remedy will work in the long term. That's why I only take it in particularly stressful phases.“ Studying is a question of cost today. She could not afford to pay tuition fees beyond the normal period of study. Therefore she has to pass every test on the first try. Normally, the methylphenidate, administered under the tradename Ritalin, is prescribed for treatment with ADD or ADHD (Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder). Among the known side effects in children include loss of appetite, growth retardation and decreased weight gain.

While brain doping can achieve a short-term increase in concentration, a long-term academic performance increase has not yet been proven. Experts therefore warn against overestimating the effects of brain doping.

Brain doping can cause short-term performance-prolonging effects
Which student does not want to do a great job just with a small pill, if he does not know how to handle his tense learning and exam the next day. It is therefore not surprising that many students now and then resort to brain doping. However, it has not yet been clarified how the remedies work in healthy people and what their long-term effects are.

It has been proven that various substances prolong their performance, at least in the short term. However, experts caution against using mood enhancers or cognition enhancers because it is not yet known if or to what extent they lead to mental or physical addiction. Professor Klaus Lieb of the University of Mainz and his team conducted a survey of 1,547 students. Four percent of the respondents said they had used legal or illegal substances at least once to increase their concentration, attention and alertness. Most of them took illegal substances such as amphetamines, cocaine and ecstasy.

The university information system GmbH (HIS) in Hanover questioned 8,000 students on "brain doping". The analysis of the answers showed that more than one in ten respondents had taken at least one mood or cognitive enhancer to better meet the study requirements. Five per cent said they had taken neuro-enhancement, the neutral term for brain doping, drugs or prescription drugs. „gentler“ Remedies, including herbal, homeopathic and vitamin supplements, as well as coffee and black tea, make up another five percent.

According to the HIS survey, the medications primarily target painkillers, hypnotics, antidepressants, beta-blockers and methylphenidate (Ritalin) to students. Amphetamine and the drug modafinil, which is prescribed exclusively for the treatment of sleeping sickness (narcolepsy), are also very popular among the „using doping substances“. „The side effects of such agents in healthy people are comparable to what patients also indicate, who take these drugs usually much longer“, reports the psychiatry professor Isabelle Heuser from the University Hospital Charité in Berlin. She evaluated several studies with her team to investigate the efficacy and potential side effects that such agents have on healthy individuals. Taking modafinil in healthy people leads to an increase in the ability to concentrate. This is especially true for sleep deprivation. While methylphenidate calms, antidepressants have a mood-enhancing effect. The scientist points out that the remedies are well tolerated as long as they are only taken once or twice. However, the long-term effects are unknown. „I can neither advise nor advise against taking“, says Heuser. „But I would be afraid to take something of which the long-term consequences are unknown.“

Brain doping does not lead to academic performance improvement
Professor Heiner Wolstein of the Scientific Board of Trustees of the German Research Center for Addiction Issues considers it a myth that the drugs led to an academic increase in performance. That is not scientifically proven, but unknown to most students. „They only extend the performance.“ Consumers often have the impression that they feel better, that they are more creative and last longer, „but the effect is like a big strong coffee. And you still have to learn despite the pill.“

The reason for the brain doping is often called the increasing pressure of performance at the universities. Psychiatrist Heuser advises those affected, instead of taking pills, on alternatives: „Would take a break and sleep well maybe not help too?“ This view is also Professor Wolstein: „An alternative is to start learning earlier and sleep well.“ It was very unfavorable to learn the night before an exam, instead of sleeping sufficiently. „The probability of retrieving what you learn is much less without sleep.“ It was already 90 minutes deep sleep for better performance. (Ag)

Also read:
Food for´s brain: high performance through nutrition
Exercise can improve brain power
More and more students are reaching for Ritalin

Picture: Gerd Altmann