著者

山本 緑 石井 祐次

出版者

Japanese Society of Drug Informatics

雑誌

医薬品情報学 (ISSN:13451464)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.20, no.1, pp.41-46, 2018 (Released:2018-06-16)

参考文献数

21

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Objective: Smart drugs are widely used for nonmedical reasons in Western countries.  Given that smart drugs are often used for years, long-term effectiveness and safety are essential, but particularly difficult and costly to determine.  The use of smart drugs seems to be common among individuals in cognitively demanding environments, such as schools and universities, although the actual consumption of smart drugs has not been elucidated in Japan.  To monitor the prevalence of smart drugs among undergraduates, we conducted an awareness survey in Kyushu University and Healthcare Management College.Results: We found that 98% of students had never used smart drugs.  When asked “Would you like to use smart drugs ?” 55% of the students answered “No,” 10% answered “Yes,” and 33% answered “I couldn’t say.”  No associations were observed between these answers and sex, drinking, smoking, and pressure on academic performance.  It is suggested that users of soft enhancers, such as caffeine-containing products for cognitive enhancement, are more likely to use smart drugs.  We found that half of the students had used energy drinks for neuroenhancement prior to an exam.Conclusion: The present study indicated a low prevalence of smart drug use compared with that in other countries, whereas the use of caffeine-containing products for cognitive enhancement appeared to be similar to Western usage.  Furthermore, approximately 30% of the students agreed with the use and effectiveness of smart drugs.  Further studies of smart drugs among students should be conducted to prevent the abuse.

著者

山本 緑

出版者

公益社団法人 日本薬学会

雑誌

YAKUGAKU ZASSHI (ISSN:00316903)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.142, no.5, pp.521-526, 2022-05-01 (Released:2022-05-01)

参考文献数

29

被引用文献数

1

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Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) refers to the use of biochemical enhancers for achieving improved mental performance in healthy individuals. One particular use of PCE prevalence is the misuse of these enhancers among university students for academic performance enhancement. The prevalence rates demonstrate the use of a broad spectrum of substances for PCE that can be classified as OTC, prescription, and illegal drugs. Given that certain substances have been widely used for years, their long-term effectiveness and side effects in the healthy population are essential to know. The question of safety and efficacy or benefit versus risk is not only of individual and societal interest but also bears implications for regulatory and policy decision-making. As far as safety is concerned, there is a particular problem with healthy children, whose brains are still in development. Soft enhancers, such as energy drinks, might be commonly used worldwide. Performance pressure, stress, and psychiatric disorders may be associated with PCE use and need to be considered when planning anti-PCE-themed educational activities. In an increasingly complex information society, demands for cognitive functioning are growing; however, it is doubtful whether we should welcome the use of PCEs for the support of work productivity or the improvement of our life quality. Societal discussions on PCE might give an opportunity to consider a meaningful life in all aspects.

著者

山本 緑 石井 祐次

出版者

公益社団法人 日本薬学会

雑誌

YAKUGAKU ZASSHI (ISSN:00316903)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.140, no.11, pp.1397-1403, 2020-11-01 (Released:2020-11-01)

参考文献数

25

被引用文献数

3

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Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) usually refers to the use of medical substances by healthy individuals to improve mental performance. Given that certain substances have been frequently used for years, the long-term effectiveness and safety are essential to know but particularly difficult and costly to determine. Although PCE is a widespread and frequent phenomenon among university students in other countries, PCE prevalence in Japan has not been elucidated. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of and the attitude toward PCE among Japanese undergraduates over 3 years (2017-2019). Almost no student had ever used prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement. When asked, “Would you like to use drugs to enhance your cognitive performance?” 68.6-72.0% of the students answered, “No,” 25.4-26.7% answered, “I couldn't say,” and 2.5-4.8% answered, “Yes.” These answers were associated with sex (2017-2018) and stress sensitivity (2019) but not with drinking, smoking, or stress of academic performance. Half of the students had used energy drinks for neural enhancement prior to an examination, which is similar to Western usage. The users of soft enhancers, such as energy drinks, are more likely to use other drugs. Given that caffeine can be a gateway for cognitive enhancement, future education addressing PCE among students should emphasize the side effects of prescription drugs as well as health risks of caffeine products.