DRUG used to treat Alzheimer's disease can also be used to
boost brainpower in the healthy, say doctors.
Donepezil has a 'remarkable impact' on a wide range of functions,
including memory, concentration and ability to learn.
The findings led to predictions yesterday that it could go on
sale over the counter as a 'smart pill' in a few years.
A conference in Bristol heard that the widespread sale of such
drugs known as 'cognitive enhancers' would have huge implications
for society.
Dr Andrea Malizia, a consultant senior lecturer in the department
of psychopharmacology at Bristol University, said: 'The potential
for these drugs is enormous.
'People already buy vitamins and take caffeine to improve mental
functions but these drugs will offer a whole new dimension.
'Studies have shown people who take these drugs are able to
memorise more words than they would normally be able and increase
their general brainpower.
'We have used them to treat mental disease with great effect, but
there is obviously the market for healthy people to take them just
to get smarter.'
The predictions follow a report by the Government think-tank
Foresight which claimed brain-enhancing drugs could one day become
as 'common as coffee'.
The new drugs could usher in a new era of 'mental cosmetics' and
could lead to children undergoing 'dope tests' before taking exams,
it said.
Recent research from Germany and America has found that young men
who took the drug also showed signs of enhanced brainpower albeit
on a lesser scale than the effect it has on Alzheimer's sufferers.
Ritalin, which is normally prescribed to children with attention
deficit hyperactivity disorder, was also cited by experts.
In recent years, it has been used by students and those in
businesss to enhance mental performance.
But some experts have reservations about the ethics of smart
pills. Dr Paul Howard-Jones, neuroscience and education network co-
ordinator at Bristol University, drew parallels with the anti-
impotence drug Viagra a product designed for a specific purpose
which was later hijacked by everyday users.
He said: 'The (smart) pills are likely to be available to the
general public in a few years.
'But we do not know how they will be regulated it may be that
they are only sold on prescription, or it may be that they are sold
on supermarket shelves like vitamin pills.
'Of course, there could be restrictions placed on their sale but
that might mean people buy them illegally.
'I would call on people to start discussing their impact before
they start causing tremendous problems in society.'
e.cook@dailymail.co.uk