Performance Enhancing Drugs Keep Academia Sharp

When Nature, the scientific journal much enjoyed by the egghead set, decided to do some research of its own, it didn’t expect to reveal a pharmaceutical secret of the academy. But it did. Nature asked its readers if they used performance enhancing drugs, meaning, in this crowd, cognition enhancing drugs that promise a rock solid and longer lasting memory. One in five said they did, with the ADHD treatment Ritalin topping the list, followed by the stimulant Provigil (modafinil), and blood-pressure drugs called beta blockers, which can also help to reduce anxiety. The Washington Post, which reports on the surprising survey results, tells us that other drugs of choice included adderall, an amphetamine similar
to Ritalin; centrophenoxine, which is used to treat dementia; and
dexedrine, an amphetamine. Geezer, who has done some time in the academy, is not shocked. Read more in the Washington Post.