Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Towards responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy

A Correction to this article was published on 17 December 2008

Society must respond to the growing demand for cognitive enhancement. That response must start by rejecting the idea that 'enhancement' is a dirty word, argue Henry Greely and colleagues.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. McCabe, S. E., Knight, J. R., Teter, C. J. & Wechsler, H. Addiction 100, 96–106 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Maher, B. Nature 452, 674–675 (2008).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Sahakian, B. & Morein-Zamir, S. Nature 450, 1157–1159 (2007).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Weyandt, L. L & DuPaul, G. J. Atten. Disord. 10, 9–19 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Minzenberg, M. J. & Carter, C. S. Neuropsychopharmacology 33, 1477–1502 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vastag, B. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 291, 167–170 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Turner, D. C. et al. Psychopharmacology 165, 260–269 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Grön, G., Kirstein, M., Thielscher, A., Riepe, M. W. & Spitzer, M. Psychopharmacology 182, 170–179 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Lynch, G. & Gall C. M. Trends Neurosci. 29, 554–562 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Hillman, C. H., Erikson, K. I. & Kramer, A. F. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 9, 58–65 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Almeida, S. S. et al. Nutr. Neurosci. 5, 311–320 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Boonstra, T. W., Stins, J. F., Daffertshofer, A. & Beek, P. J. Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 64, 934–946 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Draganski, B. et al. Nature 427, 311–312 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Schlaggar, B. L. & McCandliss, B. D. Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 30, 475–503 (2007).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Farah, M. J. et al. Nature Rev. Neurosci. 5, 421–425 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kass, L. R. et al. Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness (President's Council on Bioethics, 2003); available at http://www.bioethics.gov/reports/beyondtherapy.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Harris, J. Enhancing Evolution: The Ethical Case for Making Better People (Princeton Univ. Press, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Schacter, D. L. Seven Sins of Memory (Houghton Mifflin, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Moreno, J. D. Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense (Dana Press, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  20. Diller, L. H. Hastings Cent. Rep. 26, 12–18 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Fukuyama, F. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  22. Chatterjee, A. Neurology 63, 968–974 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Beddington, J. et al. Nature 455, 1057–1060 (2008).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This article is the result of a seminar held by the authors at Rockefeller University. Funds for the seminar were provided by Rockefeller University and Nature.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

B.S. consults for a number of pharmaceutical companies and Cambridge Cognition, and holds shares in CeNeS. R.C.K. consults for and has received grants from a number of pharmaceutical companies.

Additional information

Join the debate on this topic at Nature Network → http://tinyurl.com/6nyu29

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Greely, H., Sahakian, B., Harris, J. et al. Towards responsible use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by the healthy. Nature 456, 702–705 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/456702a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/456702a

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing