Stimulants are being used with increasing frequency by students across college campuses (see ‘Harvard Students: Reaching for drugs to boost brain power). Many of them, however, probably aren’t well aware of the various side effects. In addition to chronic

A new study done by Scott Hemby and colleagues at Wake Forest University of Medicine finds that long term cocaine use leads to “profound changes in brain function”.

Cocaine, Ritalin (amphetamines), and coffee all work differently on the brain, but in the end, they are all stimulants, and they can all induce euphoria by modulating the amount of the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Ritalin, Adderall, Strattera, Concerta, Metadate, Dexedrine, Focalin, Cylert, Attenade. All are stimulants used to treat Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD). They are also all drugs that have been tried or used by 15-30% of college students to get ahead academically.

Now a

As pharmaceutical companies come out with newer, more effective brain boosting pills (see an earlier post on ampakines), more and more people will be chiming in on the ethics of brain enhancement.

A recent Harvard University newspaper article suggests that many Harvard students casually rely on prescription

A new study published in the European Child Adolescent Psychiatry seems to indicate that pine bark extract is effective for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The extract is called Pycnogenol, which is derived from the bark of the French maritime pine.