Main description:

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.

Contents:

Chapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Psychosocial Motivators of "Smart Drug" Use Amongst University StudentsChapter 3: Nutraceuticals as Cognitive EnhancersChapter 4: Nutritional Interventions to Improve Cognitive FunctionChapter 5: Being Limitless: A Discursive Analysis of Online Accounts of Modafinil UseChapter 6: The Role of Glycemic Control in Cognitive FunctioningChapter 7: A Familiar Landscape in the Brave New World: Ethics of Cognitive EnhancementChapter 8: Afterword