‘Smart’ Drugs Alter Developing Brain

Whom is going to research if these cognitive enhancing drugs help a survivors recovery?  This is from the Dana Foundation so I expected a much more complete story.  After my next stroke I will find some way to get them because this:
Maybe Ritalin from this research in 1998.
The article here:
‘Smart’ Drugs Alter Developing Brain 

At Neuroscience 2012, Barbara Sahakian, a psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge, led a rousing discussion regarding the ethics surround the use of so-called "smart" drugs, or drugs that improve attention, memory, wakefulness and cognitive capabilities. In her talk, Sahakian highlighted that the number of young students and professionals using such drugs is only growing-and stressed the pros and cons of such use must be discussed in the context of both the individual and society at large. It was one of the most talked about speeches at the conference that year.
Certainly, cognitive enhancement, by any means, remains a controversial issue. But Julian Savulescu, the Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, says, on the whole, there is a lot of benefit to cognitive enhancement. He says that the ability to enhance memory and learning, even through the use of drugs, offers healthy people not only the ability to improve their academic performance but also their overall well-being and life success. And that, he argues, provides an economic benefit to society at large.
"I think there are a lot of good reasons to take 'smart' drugs. Overwhelmingly, there are a weight of reasons in favor of taking them," he says. "There are only two good objections to it that I see. One is that their use may be potentially exacerbating social injustice. But I think that's easily addressed by making sure people have basic access to them in the same way they have access to basic education. The second objection is one of safety. That they might be risky and we just don't know the long-term effects of their use. And that's a scientific question that needs to be answered."
To date, there has been a serious lack of research concerning the effects of these drugs, many of which are available without a prescription over the Internet, in healthy individuals. A recent review from researchers at the Drexel University College of Medicine suggests the use of cognitive enhancing drugs may have unintended and quite negative consequences, particularly in young brains.
- See more at: http://www.dana.org/News/Details.aspx?id=115099#sthash.7ShljdNO.dpuf

 At Neuroscience 2012, Barbara Sahakian, a psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge, led a rousing discussion regarding the ethics surround the use of so-called "smart" drugs, or drugs that improve attention, memory, wakefulness and cognitive capabilities. In her talk, Sahakian highlighted that the number of young students and professionals using such drugs is only growing-and stressed the pros and cons of such use must be discussed in the context of both the individual and society at large. It was one of the most talked about speeches at the conference that year.

Certainly, cognitive enhancement, by any means, remains a controversial issue. But Julian Savulescu, the Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics at the University of Oxford, says, on the whole, there is a lot of benefit to cognitive enhancement. He says that the ability to enhance memory and learning, even through the use of drugs, offers healthy people not only the ability to improve their academic performance but also their overall well-being and life success. And that, he argues, provides an economic benefit to society at large.

"I think there are a lot of good reasons to take 'smart' drugs. Overwhelmingly, there are a weight of reasons in favor of taking them," he says. "There are only two good objections to it that I see. One is that their use may be potentially exacerbating social injustice. But I think that's easily addressed by making sure people have basic access to them in the same way they have access to basic education. The second objection is one of safety. That they might be risky and we just don't know the long-term effects of their use. And that's a scientific question that needs to be answered."

To date, there has been a serious lack of research concerning the effects of these drugs, many of which are available without a prescription over the Internet, in healthy individuals. A recent review from researchers at the Drexel University College of Medicine suggests the use of cognitive enhancing drugs may have unintended and quite negative consequences, particularly in young brains.