Issue (WIWE) status: Submitted, Unpublished

Weak Signal's progress: Fully-fledged

This Weak Signal came from: 
Scientists/researchers

The source of this Weak Signal: 
The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/feb/21/smart-drugs-students-universities V Cakic- Smart drugs for cognitive enhancement: ethical and pragmatic considerations in the era of cosmetic neurology

When did the Weak Signal manifest ? 
before 2000

Weak Signal's description: 

In recent years so called smart drugs or nootropics such as methylphenidate, modafinil and piracetam are increasingly being used by healthy students and academics. Normally prescribed for disorders auch as Alzheimer or ADHD cognitive enhancers boost acetylcholine in the brain, leading to an improvement of alertness and attention. Scholars believe that the use and effectiveness of smart drugs will increase even further in the next decade. The use of nootropics has several ethical implications, some universities even suggested dope test to preclude unfair advantages. Although there is little data on the long-term effects on healthy users, some propose that the use of smart drugs will become socially more acceptable resulting from an increased pressure to perform and an agening population where people have to work longer before they get retired and thus might want to take smart drugs to enhance their alertness once they get older. Moreover, smart drugs could lead to a shorter working week, as one could work more efficiently in a shorter period of time.