Cognitive Enhancement with Cogniceuticals

Cogniceuticals are brain enhancement drugs that improve human "knowing" functions such as memory, learning, and attention.  Think steroids for the brain.  The best known and most widely used are Ritalin and Provigil. 

While developed for other reasons - Ritalin to treat attention deficit disorders and Provigil to treat sleep disorders - both enhance concentration.  This makes them popular in settings where long periods of concentration are required.  Despite being illegal without a prescription, these drugs are commonly used in military settings, on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley and on college campuses.   

The British science magazine Nature recently polled their mostly scientist readers (paid subscription required) on their use of cognitive enhancement drugs and 1400 responded.  The poll results were:

• 20% used cognitive enhancement drugs
• nearly two-thirds said they knew of a colleague who used cognitive enhancement drugs

While Nature requires a paid subscription, there is a good summary of the study on WebMD that also covers the potential side effects associated with the use of these drugs.

The next decade will see the release of many more brain enhancing drugs to help the growing number of aging baby boomers afflicted with brain related diseases like Alzheimers.   While not directly related to small business, it is a longer term trend that is worth being aware of.