Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK.
Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2012 May;15(4):559-71. doi: 10.1017/S146114571100037X. Epub 2011 Mar 14.
Pharmacological cognitive enhancers (PCEs) are used to improve cognitive functions, such as attention, learning, memory and planning in patients with impairments in cognition resulting from traumatic brain injury (TBI) or from neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Moreover, PCEs have been shown to improve cognition in healthy volunteers with no psychiatric disorders. This article describes the rationale behind the need for their use in neuropsychiatric patients and illustrates how PCEs can ameliorate cognitive impairments, improve quality of life and wellbeing, and therefore reduce the economic burden associated with these disorders. We also describe evidence that PCEs are being used as cognitive enhancers by healthy people. Crucially, as the lifestyle use of these drugs becomes very popular in the healthy population, a final aim is to present an overview of the current and future neuroethical considerations of enhancing the healthy brain. As information regarding their actual use, benefits and harms in various healthy populations is currently lacking, we propose research that aims to obtain relevant empirical data, monitor the short- and long-term effectiveness and side-effects, and initiate accurate surveys to determine current patterns and quantity of usage of PCE drugs by healthy people. Furthermore, in order to instigate a dialogue between neuroethics and neuropsychopharmacology, we urge scientists to explore and communicate the social and ethical implications of their research to the public. Finally, we discuss and highlight other means of enhancing cognition in both patients and healthy adults, including education and physical exercise.
药理学认知增强剂（PCEs）用于改善认知功能，如注意力、学习、记忆和规划，适用于因创伤性脑损伤（TBI）或神经精神障碍（如阿尔茨海默病（AD）、轻度认知障碍、精神分裂症和注意缺陷多动障碍（ADHD））导致认知受损的患者。此外，已证明 PCEs 可改善无精神障碍的健康志愿者的认知能力。本文描述了在神经精神疾病患者中使用它们的必要性背后的原理，并说明了 PCEs 如何改善认知障碍、提高生活质量和幸福感，从而减轻与这些疾病相关的经济负担。我们还描述了证据表明，健康人正在将 PCEs 用作认知增强剂。至关重要的是，由于这些药物在健康人群中的生活方式使用变得非常流行，因此我们的最终目标是概述当前和未来关于增强健康大脑的神经伦理学考虑因素。由于目前缺乏关于这些药物在各种健康人群中的实际使用、益处和危害的信息，我们建议进行旨在获得相关经验数据、监测短期和长期效果和副作用的研究，并启动准确的调查，以确定健康人群中 PCE 药物的当前使用模式和数量。此外，为了在神经伦理学和神经精神药理学之间发起对话，我们敦促科学家向公众探索和传达他们研究的社会和伦理影响。最后，我们讨论并强调了在患者和健康成年人中增强认知的其他方法，包括教育和体育锻炼。
