Some students take medicines like methylphenidate, often sold under the brand name Ritalin, to boost their performance before an exam, but research shows these drugs don’t improve how well people do in tests
By Clare Wilson
14 June 2023
Methylphenidate, often sold under the brand name Ritalin, can be prescribed to people with ADHD
Turtle Rock Scientific/Science Source/Science Photo Library
Some people try to get a mental boost by taking medicines that are designed to treat ADHD or to counter sleeping disorders, even though they don’t have these conditions. But that may not be such a smart move, as the drugs worsened the performance of people who didn’t have these conditions in a complex problem-solving task.
The drugs involved include two stimulants: methylphenidate, often sold under the brand name Ritalin, and dextroamphetamine. These are both often prescribed to improve concentration and attention in people with ADHD. They are thought to work by raising levels of the brain chemical dopamine, as dopamine-signalling systems may work less well in people with ADHD.
Another drug, called modafinil, is used to help people with excessive fatigue caused by narcolepsy. Modafinil also raises dopamine signalling.
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Use of these drugs by people without these conditions has been growing in colleges and workplaces, when cramming for an exam or close to a deadline. People may buy them as “smart drugs” online or from those who have been prescribed them legitimately. “It is really rampant among students in US colleges,” says Peter Bossaerts at the University of Cambridge.
Previous studies have shown that when people without ADHD take stimulants like these, their performance in straightforward memory and concentration tasks is only as good as those taking placebo pills. This suggests that any benefit felt by the study participants might stem from the placebo effect.
Bossaerts and his colleagues wanted to test the drugs in a way that is closer to real-world problem solving. They used an online test called the knapsack problem, in which people have to choose from multiple items of different weights and values to fill a bag, making the total contents as valuable as possible without breaching a weight limit. They can try out different combinations before submitting their answer.