Modanifil, a medication commonly used to treat people with
narcolepsy has been dubbed the world’s first ‘smart drug’ by researchers at
Harvard and Oxford universities. It is suspected that the vast majority of
people who have been using this drug are healthy people who wanted to enhance their
cognitive skills. Researchers concluded that this drug can improve
decision-making, problem-solving and even enhance creative skills in people.
They acknowledged that information on the longterm use of this drug is limited but they said that the drug is safe for
short term use with few side effects and no addictive qualities.
“It would be difficult to get ethical approval to test the
effects of taking this drug in the long term,” said Anna-Katherine Brem,
co-author of the review which was published in the journal European
Neuropsychopharmacology. [Read more Newresearch says circadian rhythm of genes in brain changes with aging]
Modafinil,
which was licensed in 2002 for the treatment of narcolepsly
has become increasingly common in the universities across UK and the U.S. It is
prescribed in the UK as Provigil for treating narcolepsy - a brain disorder
that can cause a person to suddenly fall asleep at inappropriate times or to
experience chronic pervasive sleepiness and fatigue. [Read more Fiber-richfood may reduce risk of lung disease]
Dr Ruairidh Battleday and Dr Anna-Katharine Brem from the University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School evaluated the
research papers on cognitive enhancement qualities of modafinil from January
1990 to December 2014. They found 24 studies dealing with the benefits associated
with taking modafinil. The benefits included planning, decision making, learning,
memory, flexibility and creativity.
They found that performance enhancing capacity of modafinil
varied according to the task. The tests showed that longer and more complex the
task, the more consistently modafinil conferred cognitive benefits. [Read more Drugslows Alzheimer’s by boosting brain’s ‘garbage disposal’ system]
According to Dr. Brem, other proposed smart drugs, such as
Ritalin, prescribed for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), have many
negative side effects. She added, “Modafinil seems to be the first ‘smart drug’
that is reasonably safe for healthy people.”
Peter Morgan of Yale School of Medicine said that other
cognitive enhancers, such as caffeine or nicotine may have benefits from
short-term use, but those benefits are destroyed by long-term use and are
replaced by deficiencies in cognitive skills. “There is no evidence that
modafinil would be any different in this regard,” he said. [ওজন কমাতে প্রতিদিন আপনার কতটুকু কার্বোহাইড্রেটখাওয়া উচিৎ?]
Dr. Brem and her co-author Ruairidh Battleday think that the
time is now to debate over the use of this drug. “For the first time, we have
an agent without serious side affects showing benefits which we haven’t had
before,” she said.
“We’re not saying ‘go out and take this drug and your life
will be better’,” said Dr. Brem. She concluded, “It is still unlicensed for
healthy people - but it is time for a wider debate on how to integrate
cognitive enhancement into our lives. We need to explore the ethics, and
scientist, politicians and the public need to be involved.”
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