Methylphenidate, modafinil, and caffeine for cognitive enhancement in chess: A double-blind, randomised controlled trial.

Stimulants and caffeine have been proposed for cognitive enhancement by healthy subjects. This study investigated whether performance in chess - a competitive mind game requiring highly complex cognitive skills - can be enhanced by methylphenidate, modafinil or caffeine. In a phase IV, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 39 male chess players received 2×200mg modafinil, 2×20mg methylphenidate, and 2×200mg caffeine or placebo in a 4×4 crossover design. They played twenty 15-minute games during two sessions against a chess program (Fritz 12; adapted to players' strength) and completed several neuropsychological tests. Marked substance effects were observed since all three subs…

Muster des Missbrauchs von (Psycho-) Stimulanzien zum pharmakologischen Neuroenhancement bei Studierenden

Auch in Deutschland werden verschreibungspflichtige und illegale (Psycho-) Stimulanzien wie Methylphenidat und Amphetamine von Studierenden ohne medizinische Indikation zur geistigen Leistungssteigerung missbraucht. Uber die Charakteristika dieses sog. pharmakologischen Neuroenhancements (PN) ist bislang nur wenig bekannt. Semistrukturierte Interviews mit 20 Studierenden, die Stimulanzien zum PN eingenommen haben, uber Aspekte des PN (Motive, Einstellungen usw.). Es lassen sich 2 Muster des Substanzmissbrauchs zum PN unterscheiden, die zum Teil fliesend ineinander ubergehen und die exemplarisch anhand zweier Fallbeispiele dargestellt werden: Ein Muster ist charakterisiert durch transienten …

Charakteristika von Studierenden, die pharmakologisches Neuroenhancement mit Stimulanzien betreiben: Eine Pilotstudie

Anliegen: Charakterisierung deutscher Studenten, die Methylphenidat (MPH) und/oder Amphetamine (AMPH) zum pharmakologischen Neuroenhancement (PN) konsumieren. Methode: Semistrukturierte Interviews mit 20 Konsumenten und 20 Kontrollprobanden. Ergebnisse: Die Konsumenten waren besser uber die Moglichkeit der Einnahme illegaler Substanzen zum PN informiert als die Kontrollgruppe. AMPH-Konsumenten nahmen haufiger weitere illegale Substanzen zum PN ein als MPH-Konsumenten, wahrend hinsichtlich legaler Substanzen zum PN kein Unterschied zwischen den beiden Konsumentengruppen bestand. AMPH-Konsumenten hatten AMPH vornehmlich nasal eingenommen. Insgesamt wiesen die Stimulanzienkonsumenten haufiger …

Von der symptomatischen zur kausalen Therapie?

Until today the pharmacological therapy of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is still limited to symptomatic temporary improvement or stabilization of cognitive performance and activities of daily living, and the reduction of neuropsychiatric symptoms of the disease. Available symptomatic treatment options are the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (ACh-I) donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine, and the partial N-Methyl-D-Aspartat-(NMDA)-antagonist memantine. Further substances with symptomatic targets, especially selective acetylcholine and histamine receptors, are currently under development. Numerous of disease-modifying substances mainly targeting components of the amyloidogenic pathway of AD are pre…

What users think about the differences between caffeine and illicit/prescription stimulants for cognitive enhancement

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (CE) is a topic of increasing public awareness. In the scientific literature on student use of CE as a study aid for academic performance enhancement, there are high prevalence rates regarding the use of caffeinated substances (coffee, caffeinated drinks, caffeine tablets) but remarkably lower prevalence rates regarding the use of illicit/prescription stimulants such as amphetamines or methylphenidate. While the literature considers the reasons and mechanisms for these different prevalence rates from a theoretical standpoint, it lacks empirical data to account for healthy students who use both, caffeine and illicit/prescription stimulants, exclusively f…

Use of Caffeine for Cognitive Enhancement

Abstract Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (CE) refers to the use of divergent psychoactive substances with the purpose of enhancing one's own cognition (e.g., increasing vigilance, concentration, memory). The group of substances for CE includes divergent over-the-counter drugs. Caffeine-containing products such as coffee, caffeinated drinks, and caffeine tablets are integral part of this group of substances. Furthermore, prescription drugs as well as illicit drugs belong to this group of CE substances (e.g., [psycho-]stimulants, modafinil). The use of caffeine in normal healthy subjects has very limited procognitive effects. However, there are few procognitive effects in healthy but sl…

Pharmakologisches Neuroenhancement: Substanzen und Epidemiologie

Construct Validity and Population-Based Norms of the German Brief Resilience Scale (BRS).

Abstract. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) measures the ability to recover from stress. To provide further evidence for construct validity of the German BRS and to determine population-based norms, a large sample (N = 1,128) representative of the German adult population completed a survey including the BRS and instruments measuring perceived stress and the resilience factors optimism, self-efficacy, and locus of control. Confirmatory factor analyses showed best model fit for a five-factor model differentiating the ability to recover from stress from the three resilience factors. On the basis of latent and manifest correlations, convergent and discriminant validity of the BRS were fair to g…

Randomized response estimates for the 12-month prevalence of cognitive-enhancing drug use in university students.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate the 12-month prevalence of cognitive-enhancing drug use. DESIGN: Paper-and-pencil questionnaire that used the randomized response technique. SETTING: University in Mainz, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2569 university students who completed the questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: An anonymous, specialized questionnaire that used the randomized response technique was distributed to students at the beginning of classes and was collected afterward. From the responses, we calculated the prevalence of students taking drugs only to improve their cognitive performance and not to treat underlying mental disorders such as attention-deficit-hyperactivity diso…

Cannabis for Cognitive Enhancement as a New Coping Strategy? Results From a Survey of Students at Four Universities in Germany

Cognitive Enhancement (CE) is often discussed in relation to stimulant drugs, such as amphetamines (AMPH). However, there is some evidence that cannabis (CAN) can be used for CE.This study compares the knowledge, prevalence, and perceived effects of and factors associated with the knowledge of or use of CAN versus AMPH for CE among undergraduate students at four German universities.A survey was taken of 1,538 students at four German universities. It investigated their knowledge and use of CAN and AMPH for CE as well as associated factors. Descriptive and analytic (Mann-Whitney-U test, Fisher's exact test, logistic regression) statistics were obtained using SPSS.Responses were obtained from …

Pharmacological Neuroenhancement: Substances and Epidemiology

Pharmacological neuroenhancement (PN) refers to the general use of psychoactive substances with the purpose of cognitive enhancement (e.g. enhancement of vigilance, concentration, memory or mood) by healthy subjects. Substances for PN include Over-the-Counter- (OTC-) substances such as coffee, caffeinated drinks/energy drinks, caffeine tablets and Ginkgo biloba as well as prescription drugs and illicit drugs (e.g. (psycho-) stimulants). “Brain doping” refers to the illicit use of a subcategory of these substances. On the one hand, this subcategory includes prescription drugs for the treatment of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sleep disorders, Alzheimer’s disease and depres…