Michael S. Gazzaniga thinks people are Smarter on Drugs:
Scientists have known for years that more commonplace chemicals such as adrenaline, glucose and caffeine increase memory and performance. We all know it, too: procrastinators find clarity of mind in the adrenaline rush to meet a deadline; we try not to work ‘on an empty stomach’; and we are willing to pay a premium for a vente latte — all testimony to our appreciation of these legal activities.Self-medicating with Starbucks is one thing. But consider the following. In July 2002 Jerome Yesavage and his colleagues at Stanford University discovered that donepezil, a drug approved by the FDA to slow the memory loss of Alzheimer’s patients, improves the memory of the normal population. The researchers trained pilots in a flight simulator to perform specific maneuvers and to respond to emergencies that developed during their mock flight, after giving half the pilots donepezil and half a placebo. One month later they retested the pilots and found that those who had taken the donepezil remembered their training better, as shown by improved performance. The possibility exists that donepezil could become a Ritalin for college students.
He compares donepezil (Aricept) to Ritalin because “it is commonly thought to boost SAT scores by more than 100 points, for both the hyperactive and the normal user.”