There are a group of drugs that are referred to as ‘Smart Drugs’ which purport to be medicine that can improve your mental functioning.

There are also many reports of students increasingly turning to them. A poll of Oxford students taken in 2012 found that 7% had tried them.  
 
Although these drugs are ‘prescription-only’ and usually only prescribed for conditions like narcolepsy, people appear to be able to easily access them online. These types of medicines include drugs like Modafinil and Ritalin.
 
Seeing as these drugs are relatively new there have been no studies than can attest to the long-term effects. But should we be worried? Is this not just the evolution of science? Last century we started taking aspirin to help with headaches. Why shouldn’t we start taking pills that make us perform better if they are available?
 
Do we actually know if this new types of drugs improve our neural ability? There have been a small number of studies that would seem to point to there being distinct benefits to taking them.  A study from Imperial College London in 2012, found that doctors who were deprived of sleep for a whole nights who had been given a smart drug, modafinil, actually demonstrated improved memory capability and general alertness.
 
So here on Futureproof we’re going to do our own little experiment concerning smart drugs. Futureproof researcher John O'Dowd will do a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a substance commonly taken as a so-called 'smart drug’, under medical supervision.  
 
John will stay up for two 24 hour periods and then be subjected to a series of cognitive tests administered by clinical psychologist Mark Harold. Tune in this Saturday from 10am to find out more.

Here's Jonathan explaining what's involved: