Researchers found that after taking one of the drugs, people spent more time and effort solving the tasks, while also being less accurate and efficient, compared to when not taking the drugs.įor example, on the knapsack task, taking one of the drugs did not reduce the chance that participants would find a solution to the problem, but there was a drop in the value that people attained on the task. The goal of the task was to place the items in the backpack in a way that maximized the overall value of its contents. In one of these tests - known as the “knapsack task” - participants were given a virtual backpack with a certain capacity, and a selection of items with different weights and values. These were intended to be more complex - and relevant to real life - than tests used in earlier studies, said the researchers. The tests were designed to model the decision-making and problem-solving that people do during their daily lives. Participants were randomly assigned to receive one of the drugs or a placebo before four separate experiments, which were done at least one week apart. The study involved 40 healthy participants between 18 and 35 years old, without a diagnosis of ADHD. In the study, published June 14 in the journal Science Advances, researchers tested the effects of three popular smart drugs ( methylphenidate, modafinil or dextroamphetamine), comparing them to an inactive placebo. “Unfortunately there is little to no good-quality scientific data on most of them,” she added. “People in highly competitive cognitive environments are often looking for ways to improve their performance, and there are many substances that people have tried,” study author Elizabeth Bowman, PhD, a researcher at the Centre for Brain, Mind and Markets at the University of Melbourne in Australia, told Healthline. This contrasts with earlier research, which found that these “smart drugs” improve certain types of memory and attention. Students and others sometimes take certain drugs commonly prescribed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to enhance their focus and cognitive performance, even without a diagnosis of ADHD.īut a new study suggests that in people without ADHD, these cognitive enhancers may actually inhibit performance and productivity. But people without ADHD ended up doing worse on tests that measured problem-solving skills.Drugs like Ritalin are used by people with ADHD to improve concentration.A new study finds that for people without ADHD, cognitive enhancers may actually inhibit performance and productivity. Share on Pinterest bojanstory/Getty Images
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