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Concept
Neuroenhancement
Summary
Neuroenhancement or cognitive enhancement refers to the targeted enhancement and extension of cognitive and affective abilities based on an understanding of their underlying neurobiology in healthy persons who do not have any mental illness and outcomes in experimental research. As such, it can be thought of as an umbrella term that encompasses pharmacological and non-pharmacological methods of improving neurological functionality, especially interventions designed to improve human form or functioning beyond what is necessary to sustain or restore good health, as well as the overarching ethico-legal discourse that accompanies these aims and practices.
Neuroenhancers reliably engender substantial cognitive, social, psychological, mood, or motor benefits beyond normal functioning in healthy individuals, whilst causing few side effects, albeit broader definitions also include the use of psychoactive substances that are deemed unhealthy or have substantial side effects. Pharmacological neuroenhancement agents include well-validated nootropics, such as modafinil, Bacopa monnieri, phosphatidylserine, and caffeine, as well as other drugs used for treating patients with neurological disorders.
Non-pharmacological measures of cognitive enhancement include behavioral methods (activities, techniques, and changes), non-invasive brain stimulation, which has been employed to improve various cognitive and affective functions, and brain-machine interfaces, which hold much potential to extend the repertoire of motor and cognitive capacities.
There are many nootropics, which include smart drugs and dietary supplements, and all or many of these are relevant to neuroenhancement, albeit many or most only have small effect sizes in healthy individuals or common major side effects. The most common, popular or notable pharmacological agents in neuroenhancement with potentials for significant effect sizes (as in at least as effective or similar to caffeine) include modafinil and methylphenidate (Ritalin).
Official source
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