Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/2624
41 www.hplusmagazine.com anxiety of white-collar competition in a floundering economy. And they have a synergistic relationship with our multiplying digital technologies: the more gadgets we own, the more distracted we become, and the more we need help in order to focus." In short, many of today's students would rather drop Modafinil than LSD to maintain a competitive edge. But do drugs like Adderall, Ritalin and Modafinil really enhance intelligence, increase focus, and boost creativity? Bruce Katz comments, "As far as increasing intelligence, this is a… difficult matter. For example, simply increasing the brain's learning rate may speed up the acquisition of new concepts, but will also increase the rate of catastrophic forgetting of older concepts. Intelligence and wisdom is not just about knowledge acquisition, but in applying this knowledge in the right contexts." h+ contacted Zack Lynch, author of The Neuro Revolution: How Brain Science Is Changing Our World, to ask him about this new neuro frontier. "Neurotechnology is the broad term for drugs, devices and diagnostics focused on the brain and nervous system," he says. "Neuroceuticals is a term I coined to describe future neuropharmaceuticals that have very low if any side effects, so that they may be used by healthy humans. There are three categories of neuroceuticals: cogniceuticals for memory, emoticeuticals for emotions, and sensoceuticals focused on sensory systems." Why Do You Think They Call It Dopamine? At the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a handful of young people who had just fallen madly in love volunteered to have their brains scanned to see what areas were active when they looked at pictures of their sweethearts. The LA Times reported that the brain areas that lighted up were precisely those known to be rich in dopamine. Dopamine is the key chemical in the brain's reward system, a network of cells that is associated with pleasure — and addiction. The "feel-good" chemical has long been understood to play a big role in the excitement of love. Brain cells also release it in response to cocaine and nicotine. Dopamine agonists — drugs that mimic the effects of dopamine — are also used to treat Parkinson's. In some cases, Parkinson's patients can benefit from deep brain stimulation (DBS), a procedure in which surgeons implant electrodes in the brain to regulate the body's movements, similar to the use of a pacemaker in the heart. h+ Neuro columnist James Kent does not find much benefit from over-the-counter or legal cognitive enhancers. "Everybody has a slightly difference pharmacological profile, and I tend to function best with increased dopamine modulation. And all the drugs that increase dopamine supply are illegal or are prescription ADHD drugs like Adderall. I was medicated with Ritalin for most of my childhood for ADHD so most of my life has been an experiment in pharmacological cognitive enhancement." He goes on to say that he does not take prescription medication and he has found that (for him), "medical marijuana and caffeine are better options for modulating focus than pharmaceuticals." Will Block is a researcher, writer and speaker specializing in the life extension, life enhancement and cognitive enhancement aspects of nutritional science. In a backwards-and-forward looking multimedia article entitled "From Grain to Grin – Nootropics: Past, Present, and Future" on the Better Humans website, Block describes the history and importance of nutritional supplements and other cognitive enhancers. Nootropics (from the Greek words nous or "mind" and tropein "to bend/turn") includes vitamin supplements and functional foods that are purported to improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence and focus. A good example is Ginkgo biloba: an alleged memory and concentration enhancer cultivated in China for over 1500 years. Look Ma, No Drugs! (or Nutrients) Neuroceuticals and nootropics are not the only way to enhance intelligence or creative faculties. The concept of entrainment involves "the interaction and consequent synchronization of two or more rhythmic processes or oscillators." For example, studies show that trance music has the same effect on the human mind as military drums, causing listeners to dance in unison with simple movements including head bobs, light bouncing/ jumping and humming. A similar reaction is reported for the locking of step and inhalation cycles in jogging ("runner's high"), or between respiration and heartbeat in high performance swimmers. Most brain functions can best be described as cooperative, synchronized activity of large, distributed ensembles of neurons, and a large part of this synchronized activity is of an oscillatory nature. These autorhythmic oscillatory properties of neurons in the central nervous system are a consequence of their electrochemical properties. The cooperative and oscillatory activities of these neurons can be seen as the basis for the timing of sensory-motor coordination and trance phenomena. Meditative practices and the use of biofeedback tools such as the Proteus Light and Sound Machine induce the oscillatory properties of neurons. Kaleidoscopic patterns of color are seen behind closed eyelids and synchronize with pulses of sound. The combinations of flickering color and sound pulses have an effect on brainwaves. Both ancient meditative practices and new biofeedback technologies are now being analyzed in dozens of studies using computerized electroencephalography (EEG), EEG topographic brain mapping, positron emission tomography, regional cerebral blood flow, single photon emission computed tomography, and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. ZACH LYNCH: THERE ARE THREE CATEGORIES OF NEUROCEUTICALS: COGNICEUTICALS FOR MEMORY, EMOTICEUTICALS FOR EMOTIONS, AND SENSOCEUTICALS FOCUSED ON SENSORY SYSTEMS."