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Neuroenhancement

Neuroenhancement

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Zusammenfassung

Hintergrund

„Cognitive enhancement“ (oder Neuroenhancement) bezeichnet die Steigerung der kognitiven Leistung bei gesunden Menschen durch Arzneimittel oder auch durch Hirnstimulationsverfahren wie die transkranielle Magnetstimulation.

Fragestellung

In diesem Beitrag werden die Möglichkeiten des pharmakologischen „cognitive enhancement“ durch die gebräuchlichsten Substanzen dargestellt.

Methoden

Es wurde eine selektive Literaturrecherche unter Berücksichtigung der wichtigsten Substanzgruppen (Koffein, Nikotin, Stimulanzien einschließlich Modafinil, Acetylcholinesteraseinhibitoren), mit denen Studien zur kognitiven Leistungssteigerung bei Gesunden vorliegen, durchgeführt.

Ergebnisse

Das Ausmaß der Wirkungen, die durch Pharmaka zu erreichen ist, ist ganz wesentlich genetisch bestimmt. Einige der am besten charakterisierten Polymorphismen werden hier dargestellt. Bereits heute ist eine pharmakologische Steigerung der kognitiven Leistung durch alle der genannten Substanzen möglich, und Koffein und Nikotin werden weltweit von Millionen Menschen dazu genutzt, ohne dass dies explizit von den meisten Konsumenten intendiert ist.

Diskussion

Klinische Neurowissenschaftler sind gefordert, sich mit ihrer Expertise in Zukunft noch stärker an dem gesellschaftlichen Diskurs um das „cognitive enhancement“ zu beteiligen, um auf Meinungsbildung und Entscheidungsprozesse Einfluss zu nehmen.

Summary

Background

Cognitive enhancement or neuroenhancement describes the increase in cognitive performance in humans by means of psychotropic drugs or brain stimulation methods, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Problem

This article discusses the potential of pharmacological cognitive enhancement with some of the most common drugs.

Methods

A selective literature search was performed taking into account the most important groups of substances (i.e. caffeine, nicotine, stimulants including modafinil, and acetylcholine esterase inhibitors) for which studies on the pharmacological elevation of cognitive performance in healthy subjects are available.

Results

The extent of the effects that can be pharmacologically achieved is essentially genetically determined. Some of the best-characterized polymorphisms are described here. Pharmacological enhancement of cognitive performance is currently possible with all of the compounds described here and caffeine and nicotine are used by millions of people without the explicit intention of most consumers of cognitive enhancement.

Discussion

Clinical neuroscientists are required to share their expertise to a greater extent in the social discourse on cognitive enhancement in the future in order to influence opinion-forming and decision-making processes.

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Einhaltung ethischer Richtlinien

Interessenkonflikt. G. Gründer war in den letzten 2 Jahren bzw. ist als Berater der folgenden Firmen tätig: Cheplapharm (Greifswald, Deutschland), Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, Ind, USA), Lundbeck (Kopenhagen, Dänemark), Roche (Basel, Schweiz), Servier (Paris, Frankreich) und Takeda (Osaka, Japan). Er war als Sprecher tätig für die folgenden Firmen: Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter (Budapest, Ungarn), Janssen-Cilag (Neuss, Deutschland), Lundbeck, Roche und Servier. Er hat Mittel für die Durchführung von Forschungsprojekten von folgenden Firmen erhalten: Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly und Roche. Er ist Mitbegründer der Firmen Pharma-Image – Molecular Imaging Technologies GmbH, Düsseldorf, und Brainfoods UG, Düsseldorf. T. Bartsch war in den letzten 2 Jahren als Berater von Boehringer Ingelheim tätig. Dieser Beitrag beinhaltet keine Studien an Menschen oder Tieren.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Klinik für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Psychosomatik, RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstr. 30, 52074, Aachen, Deutschland

    G. Gründer

  2. Klinik für Neurologie, AG Gedächtnisstörungen und Plastizität, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Deutschland

    T. Bartsch

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  1. G. Gründer
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Correspondence to G. Gründer.

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Gründer, G., Bartsch, T. Neuroenhancement. Nervenarzt 85, 1536–1543 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-013-3977-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00115-013-3977-3

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