Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2011;6(11):e28416.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0028416. Epub 2011 Nov 30.

Smart drugs "as common as coffee": media hype about neuroenhancement

Bradley J Partridge  1 , Stephanie K Bell, Jayne C Lucke, Sarah Yeates, Wayne D Hall
Affiliations

Smart drugs "as common as coffee": media hype about neuroenhancement

Bradley J Partridge et al. PLoS One. 2011.

Abstract

Background: The use of prescription drugs to improve cognitive functioning in normal persons--neuroenhancement"--has gained recent attention from bioethicists and neuroscientists. Enthusiasts claim that the practice is widespread and increasing, and has many potential benefits; however recent evidence provides weak support for these claims. In this study we explored how the newsprint media portrays neuroenhancement.

Aims: We conducted an empirical study of media reporting of neuroenhancement to explore: media portrayals of the prevalence of neuroenhancement; the types of evidence used by the media to support claims about its prevalence; and, the possible benefits and risks of neuroenhancement mentioned in these media articles.

Methods: Using the Factiva database, we found 142 newspaper articles about the non-medical use prescription drugs for neuroenhancement for the period 2008-2010. We conducted a thematic content analysis of how articles portrayed the prevalence of neuroenhancement; what type of evidence they used in support; and, the potential benefits and risks/side-effects of neuroenhancement that were mentioned.

Results: 87% of media articles mentioned the prevalence of neuroenhancement, and 94% portrayed it as common, increasing or both. 66% referred to the academic literature to support these claims and 44% either named an author or a journal. 95% of articles mentioned at least one possible benefit of using prescription drugs for neuroenhancement, but only 58% mentioned any risks/side effects. 15% questioned the evidence for efficacy of prescription drugs to produce benefits to users.

Conclusions: News media articles mentioned the possible benefits of using drugs for neuroenhancement more than the potential risks/side effects, and the main source for media claims that neuroenhancement is common and increasingly widespread has been reports from the academic literature that provide weak support for this claim. We urge journalists and researchers to be cautious in their portrayal of the non-medical use of drugs for neuroenhancement.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have read the journal's policy and have the following conflicts: JL has been awarded an ARC Linkage Grant, which involves some cash and in-kind support from Bayer Australia. BP has been awarded an NHMRC Training Fellowship. WH has been awarded and NHMRC Australia Fellowship. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Racine E, Waldman S, Rosenberg J, Illes J. Contemporary neuroscience in the media. Soc Sci Med. 2010;71:725–733. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Racine E, Bar-Ilan O, Illes J. fMRI in the public eye. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2005;6:159–164. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bubela TM, Caulfield TA. Do the print media “hype” genetic research? A comparison of newspaper stories and peer-reviewed research papers. Can Med Assoc J. 2004;170:1399–1407. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gonon F, Bezard E, Boraud T. Misrepresentation of Neuroscience Data Might Give Rise to Misleading Conclusions in the Media: The Case of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. PLoS ONE. 2011;6:e14618. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fins JJ. The ethical limits of neuroscience. The Lancet Neurology. 2002;1:213. - PubMed

Publication types