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NEWS: The Age- 04/05/08 'Brain boosters the drug of choice for the anxious intellect'

hoptis

hoptis

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Brain boosters the drug of choice for the anxious intellectual
John Mangan
May 4, 2008

PM_sundram_wideweb__470x286,0.jpg

Suresh Sundram, head of psychopharmacology at the Victorian Mental Health Research Institute, is concerned about the long-term effects of brain-boosting drugs. Photo: Rebecca Hallas

IT WAS initially meant to be a bit of a joke when, earlier this year, the respected international academic journal Nature posted a survey asking readers if they'd ever experimented with brain-boosting drugs.

The journal's editors got a surprise then to learn that about 20% of those responding used so-called cognition-enhancing drugs such as beta-blockers, methylphenidate (Ritalin) and modafinil.

While the brain-jolting impact of a double espresso and the confidence-bolstering effects of a few stiff drinks have been long known, a new generation of prescription drugs promises to fine-tune mental performance. Approved for treating conditions such as high blood pressure, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disorder, these drugs can have the side effects of improving concentration, memory or problem-solving skills.

Experts, though, warn of the dangers of compulsive use and addiction in vulnerable people as the long-term effects of such "off the label" use are not yet known.

Since the late 1990s golfers have been rumoured to use beta-blockers to steady nerves when they're putting under pressure. Campaigning for drug testing in his sport, champion Australian golfer Craig Parry said he knew of three players who had won majors who had been on beta-blockers.

The New York Times reports that the use of beta-blockers is rife among American classical musicians to battle performance anxiety, while leading Canadian snooker player Bill Werbeniuk was drummed out of international competition in the late 1980s after using the beta-blocker Inderol to control his shakes (his previous medication, famously, had been eight or more pints of lager).

The use of cognition-enhancing drugs in Australia remains shrouded in mystery, as people get them prescribed for one purpose and use them for another, or even buy them from overseas on the internet.

A well-known Melbourne media figure, for instance, uses beta-blockers routinely before public speaking engagements to steady his nerves.

A Melbourne academic told The Sunday Age a number of his colleagues used modafinal to get over jet-lag. "They find it extremely effective, in fact they swear by it," he said.

A Sydney-based academic said he'd used beta-blockers to steady his nerves before delivering a paper at an important conference.

"I had a friend who was a representative for a drug company who told me she never did any public speaking without taking beta-blockers," he said. "I took one just the once, and it was like everything had slowed down. I didn't have to worry about the questions being asked at the end of my paper because I felt like I had lots of time to respond, so there was no panic."

He said he would use them again, but they're hard to get, so when he has a difficult presentation he takes Valium instead, which is calming but also has the undesirable effect of making him drowsy.

Associate professor Suresh Sundram, the head of psychopharmacology at the Victorian Mental Health Research Institute, says that as these drugs are relatively new, the effects of chronic use remain unknown.

"I've got no doubt people in Australia are using these drugs, but they're very reluctant to own up to it," he says.

"The problem is we don't know what the effects of long-term use are for off-label use. Modafinal, for example, has been proven to be an effective treatment for the sleeping condition of narcolepsy, but we'd sound a very strong note of caution using it for other (non-prescribed) purposes."

And it's not just dodgy putters and nervous public speakers who are interested in the cognition-enhancing drugs. Dr Peter Crack, senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Melbourne, says that at the recent Neuroscience 2007 conference in San Diego a keynote lecture was on artificial memory enhancement. Research into repairing brains after injuries, he says, raises questions about what these techniques might achieve on healthy brains.

"A lot of interest there is being driven by the military," he says. "They want a soldier who can think harder, faster and longer, who can be told something once and retain it, and who can function for hours continuously."

Among the 1400 people from 60 countries who responded to Nature's online survey, improving concentration was the main reason cited for using these drugs, with improving focus on a specific task being a close second.

While of those who used cognition-enhancing drugs roughly half reported unpleasant side effects including headache and jitteriness, about 80% of the overall survey's respondents believed that healthy adults should be permitted to take cognition-enhancing agents if they wanted to, and 70% said they would risk mild adverse effects to take the drugs themselves.

What those side effects might be remains the big question.

Australian golfing legend Peter Thomson tells the story of American player Tommy Bolt who had a ferocious temper and, being prone to outbursts on the course, took Valium to calm down and improve his game. When asked how the pills were going, he told Thomson: "Great, I'm still three-putting, but I don't give a damn anymore."
Alert or alarming?

NATURE JOURNAL SURVEY

■ 20% had used brain-enhancing drugs without prescription.

■ 62% of those had used Ritalin.

■ 44% of those had used modafinil.

■ 15% had used beta-blockers such as propranolol.

■ 86% said regulations should prevent their use by healthy children under 16.

(There were 1427 respondents.)

DRUGS OF CHOICE

■ Beta-blockers diminish certain reactions in the brain, preventing or decreasing excitation. They control anxiety and hypertension.

■ Ritalin is a mild form of amphetamine used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Its mode of action is unknown.

■ Modafinil is a mild stimulant generally prescribed to treat narcolepsy.

SOURCE: WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA
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The Age
 
mm I would like to see a lot more research into this, I think there is a lot of potential for so-called smart drugs
 
I'd love to move my drug use into something that I could use to enhance my studies.

[Edit- Removed part that was becoming very close to sourcing. Lil angel15]
 
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^^^It isnt that good IMO. I try not to use Ritalin for study, but, it never works that way.

10mg of Ritalin will let me study for about 3 hours (which granted, is 2 hours and 50 minutes more then usual), but then give me a 3 hour quasi-amphet comedown. Maybe if I started using more amphetamines in my every day life, I would get used to the comedowns. And lose weight at the same time. Its win, win. :\
 
I was prescribed propranolol once for a medical condition - it fixed me up but I was really glad to get off them. I would hate to have to do a gig on them - it would completely ruin the performance high. Those classical musos need to toughen up!
 
C_Tripper said:
I'd love to have access to something like Ritalin/Modafinal. Too bad I can't seem to get my hands on 'em, I'd love to move my drug use into something that I could use to enhance my studies.
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My girlfriend is on Modavigil for chronic fatigue, I have tried them a few times, mainly to see how it would work on me as I have ADHD.
It actually made me more scattered as opposed to attentive.
Works well on her though, she takes 150mg every morning before work, and she can function. She doesn't use it on the weekends normally, unless we're busy.
Has pretty much no abuse potential, I didn't find anything really fun about it.

It's easy to get from doctors as it's only an S4 with little abuse potential, the only problem is then waiting for the chemist to order it in as it's not used very much over here.

It also lessens the effects of MDMA alot.
 
Ritalin is a mild form of amphetamine used in the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Its mode of action is unknown.
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Maybe this is just not very well written, but I thought the mode of action of Ritalin was relatively well understood, and it was our understanding of ADHD that was lacking.

And anyway, Ritalin is more like a more efficient cocaine then a mild amphetamine.
 
^Yeah I wondered about that too. Did you see the source they got that info from - World Book Encyclopaedia 8o

I decided to do some checking - and it appears that there is some level of understanding about methylphenidate action in brain, but also some uncertainty (google "methylphenidate pharmacology") - so it's a fair call. Seems to act as a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor - so similar to cocaine in that respect.

My knowledge of chem nomenclature is a bit dodgy - not sure if methyl phenidate can be classified as alpha methyl phenylethylamine or not (ie "form of amphetamine")
 
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I would suggest you start with Modafinal and stop at anything harder. Ive been addicted to dextro-amphetamine for a number years now and I regret ever taking them. However, Provigil is pretty safe and relatively fun especially if you never had any experience with amphetamines or ritalin.

[Edit- lil angel15]
 
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My knowledge of chem nomenclature is a bit dodgy - not sure if methyl phenidate can be classified as alpha methyl phenylethylamine or not (ie "form of amphetamine")
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No ajay, although there are structural similarities, the amino group and the alpha methyl group of amphetamines are positioned slightly differently, due to conformational restrictions of the piperidine ring.

For amphetamines, the bond angle between the alpha methyl, C2 and the amine are 108.8, whereas the boat conformation of piperidine means the bond angle between the corresponding alpha methyl carbon (C3), C2 and the nitrogen of the piperidine ring is 109.071. While small, the more rigid ring does not allow the same rotational comformations. There are other variations such as atomic orbitals but these are less significant than effects from the C1 methyl ester.

Because of the piperidine ring the naming system usually refers to that system. Using an alpha tern in the nomenclature, methylphenidate is probably better referred to as alpha phenyl-2-piperidineacetic acid methyl ester
 
Thanks for that P_D! I bombed out of organic chem in 1986 - I can bullshit the amateurs but I bow to the experts :)
 
More common than many think..

I will freely admit during my University years I used many "smart drugs" with varying degree's of success. Just like any other substance balancing the use is the challenge. Every day use is very easy if you come to rely on the results.

I presented a Thesis in Electrical Engineering to a group of academics after taking Diazapam to calm my nerves and smooth my presenting mannerisms. I think it went well, however I would never have admitted I had done this to my peers.
 
Beta blockers such as Propanolol are far more readily prescribed for anxiety by doctors in the Uk than benzos such as Diazepam as they have little abuse potential. They act on the the physical results of anxiety and panic, such as pulse rate, thus breaking the mind/body loop of anxiety (worry leading to increased pulse rate and hyperventilation, leading to panic, increasing pulsed rate, etc) but don't effect cognition itself, thus labelling them a 'barin booster' or 'smart drug' seems to me to be specious. They are not viewed with much wariness by the British medical community, who are keen to avoid prescribing addictive benzos. My sceptical, cyncial side feels that they are avoided in the USA because the medical community is under pressure from the pharmaceutical companies to push their latest patented addictive benzo.

The real 'smart drugs' such as Piracetam are the ones which are formulated to enhance cognition itself, and were developed foir conditions such as Alzheimers, and whether they boost the cognitive powers of those without such conditions is highly controversial.

Stimulants such as caffeine are used non-controversially to aid concentration and study. Overuse can make you feel scattered and distracted. the same goes for amphetamines. I would say use of the latter in exam situations is controversial because the drugs are illegal to start with.
 
I'd be intersted to hear reports from anyone who has used Piracetam. I tried it once but didn't notice much cognitive enhancement, though the dosage for those who aren't cognitively impaired is subject to debate, and the drugs were expensive so I couldn't afford to take them for very long.
 
Piracetam definitely helps me with concentration, word recall and short-term memory. I'm a writer and I find the combination of piracetam, coffee and psy-trance is the best thing possible to achieve a fluid, productive state, so my thoughts can flow straight from my brain to the keyboard. Piracetam is also excellent for motivation.

What beats it hands-down, though, is selegiline. Combine that with piracetam and you can do literally anything. I wrote a book in two months. Normally would've taken a year, I reckon.
 
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