Chemically Modified Minds: Substance Use for Cognitive Enhancement

This innovative edited collection brings together leading international academics to explore the use of various non-prescription and prescription substances. From a psychosocial perspective, the authors discuss the complex reasons behind their adoption, the ways in which they are misused, and links between use and cognitive enhancement. While studies on substance use to date have examined the aetiology and effects in the context of sporting performance, addiction and recreational use, there has been little work which explores their wider misuse to improve cognitive enhancement. With medical sociology and social psychology at its core, this important volume shows the complex reasons behind the misuse of various substances, how these are connected to contemporary desire for increased mental performance, and why the potential health risks and possibly harmful side effects do not act as deterrents. Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Psychosocial Motivators of "Smart Drug" Use Amongst University Students Chapter 3: Nutraceuticals as Cognitive Enhancers Chapter 4: Nutritional Interventions to Improve Cognitive Function Chapter 5: Being Limitless: A Discursive Analysis of Online Accounts of Modafinil Use Chapter 6: The Role of Glycemic Control in Cognitive Functioning Chapter 7: A Familiar Landscape in the Brave New World: Ethics of Cognitive Enhancement Chapter 8: Afterword