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Toward Informed User Decisions About Pharmacological Cognitive Enhancement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 November 2022

Polaris Koi
Polaris Koi*
Affiliation:
University of Turku, Turku, Finland
*
Corresponding author. Email: polaris.koi@utu.fi
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Abstract

Pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE) refers to the use of pharmaceuticals to improve cognitive function when that use is not intended to prevent or treat disease. Those who favour a liberal approach to PCE trust users to make informed decisions about whether enhancing is in their best interest. The author argues that making informed decisions about PCE requires a nuanced risk-benefit analysis that is not accessible to many users. Presently, the PCE use of prescription medications such as methylphenidate and modafinil is widespread but most commonly happens without medical supervision. Direct and indirect barriers generate a situation where the risks and benefits of PCE are inequitably distributed; as a result, PCE is sometimes not in the user’s best interest. This is likely to also be the case for future pharmaceuticals. As a result, even if PCE pharmaceuticals were equitably distributed, its associated risks and benefits would not be. The article concludes with a discussion of the prospects of the clinical consultation on one hand, and e-health solutions on the other, in ameliorating the situation, arguing for cautious optimism.

Keywords

human enhancementpharmacological cognitive enhancementcognitive functionrisk-benefit analysismethylphenidatemodafinile-healthdecisionmaking
Type
Research Article
Information
Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics , Volume 31 , Issue 4 , October 2022 , pp. 545 - 556
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

Notes

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