Koffein oder vielleicht sogar etwas Ritalin vor der nächsten Klausur? Der Versuch, mit vermeintlich leistungssteigernden Substanzen die Erfolgsaussichten etwa bei Prüfungen zu verbessern, wird als Neuroenhancement bezeichnet. Damit ist der Einsatz medizinischer Maßnahmen gemeint, z. B. eben Substanzeinnahme oder auch Neurotechnologie, die darauf abzielen, die kognitiven oder motorischen Fähigkeiten oder auch einfach die Stimmung zu verbessern.
In den letzten Jahren hat man das immer wieder gehört, was natürlich schnell den Eindruck erzeugt, die Gesellschaft sei schon voller Neuroenhancer. Ist das aber wirklich so? Wie verbreitet ist Neuroenhancement in der Gesellschaft? Und wie gefährlich ist die Nutzung dieser Maßnahmen?
Zu diesen und vielen weiteren Fragen rund um die Thematik hat im ZiF ein Workshop stattgefunden mit dem Titel „Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Neuroenhancement: Current Developments and Impact on the Individual and Society“, geleitet vom Sozialwissenschaftler Guido Mehlkop, der Philosophin Saskia Nagel und dem Soziologen Sebastian Sattler, die in dieser Folge über die Realitäten des Neuroenhancements sprechen.
Linkliste
- Literatur
- Graf, W.D., Nagel, S.K., Epstein, L.G., Miller, G., Nass, R., Larriviere, D., 2013. Pediatric neuroenhancement Ethical, legal, social, and neurodevelopmental implications. Neurology 80, 1251–1260.
- Cinel, C., Valeriani, D., Poli, R., 2019. Neurotechnologies for Human Cognitive Augmentation: Current State of the Art and Future Prospects. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 13, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00013.
- Dresler, M., Sandberg, A., Ohla, K., Bublitz, C., Trenado, C., Mroczko-Wąsowicz, A., Kühn, S., Repantis, D., 2013. Non-pharmacological cognitive enhancement. Neuropharmacology 64, 529–543.
- Greely, H., Sahakian, B., Harris, J., Kessler, R.C., Gazzaniga, M., Campbell, P., Farah, M.J., 2008. Towards responsible use of cognitive enhancing drugs by the healthy. Nature 456, 702–705. https://doi.org/doi:10.1038/456702a.
- Husain, M., Mehta, M.A., 2011. Cognitive enhancement by drugs in health and disease. Trends in Cognitive Sciences 15, 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.11.002 zur Wirkung und Wirkweise von Substanzen.
- Metzinger, T., 2012. Zehn Jahre Neuroethik des pharmazeutischen kognitiven Enhancements–Aktuelle Probleme und Handlungsrichtlinien für die Praxis. Fortschr Neurol Psyc 80, 36–43.
- Roberts, C.A., Jones, A., Sumnall, H., Gage, S.H., Montgomery, C., 2020. How effective are pharmaceuticals for cognitive enhancement in healthy adults? A series of meta-analyses of cognitive performance during acute administration of modafinil, methylphenidate and D-amphetamine. European Neuropsychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2020.07.002.
- Sahakian, B., Morein-Zamir, S., 2007. Professor’s little helper. Nature 450, 1157–1159.
- Sahakian, B.J., Bruhl, A.B., Cook, J., Killikelly, C., Savulich, G., Piercy, T., Hafizi, S., Perez, J., Fernandez-Egea, E., Suckling, J., Jones, P.B., 2015. The impact of neuroscience on society: cognitive enhancement in neuropsychiatric disorders and in healthy people. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 370, 20140214. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2014.0214.
- Racine, É., Sattler, S., Boehlen, W. (2021). Cognitive Enhancement: Unanswered Questions about Human Psychology and Social Behavior. Science and Engineering Ethics 27:19. [Link]
- Sattler, S., van Veen, F., Hasselhorn, F., El Tabei, L., Fuhr, U., Mehlkop, G. (2025): Prevalence of legal, prescription, and illegal drugs used for cognitive enhancement across sociodemographic groups in Germany. Deviant Behavior 46: 253–287. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Pietralla, D. (2022): Public Attitudes towards Neurotechnology: Findings from Two Experiments Concerning Brain Stimulation Devices (BSDs) and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). PLOS One 17: e0275454. [Link]
- van Veen, F., Sattler, S., Mehlkop, G., Hasselhorn, F. (2022). Feigning Symptoms to Obtain Prescription Stimulants: A Vignette-Based Study on Its Conditions. Journal of Drug Issues, 52: 225-249. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Linden, P. (2021). Unhealthy Parenting Strategies: Situational (Dis-)Incentives, Machiavellian Personality, and their Interaction on Misuse of ADHD Medication for Healthy Children. Social Science Research 97: 102559. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Mehlkop, G., Bahr, V., Betsch, C. (2021). Why Parents Abuse Prescription Drugs to Enhance the Cognitive Performance of Healthy Children: The Influence of Peers and Social Media. Journal of Drug Issues 51: 461-482.[Link]
- Hiltrop, K., Sattler, S. (2022): Parents’ Perceptions on the Debated Parenting Practice of Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy Children and Adolescents. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement 6: 373–388. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Singh, I. (2016). Cognitive Enhancement in Healthy Children Will Not Close the Achievement Gap in Education. American Journal of Bioethics 16: 39-41. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Faber, N. Häusser, J. (2023): Working with a Sleep-Deprived or a Cognitively Enhanced Team Member Compromises Motivation to Contribute to Group Performance. European Journal of Social Psychology 53: 1231-1244. [Link]
- Baum, M., Sattler, S., Reimann, M. (2023). Towards an Understanding of How Stress and Resources Affect the Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs for Performance Enhancement Among Employees. Current Psychology 42: 4784–4801. [Link]
- Sample, M., Sattler, S. Racine, E., Boehlen, W. (2023): Brain-Computer Interfaces, Disability, and the Stigma of Refusal: A Factorial Vignette Study. Public Understanding of Science 32: 522-542 [Link]
- Huber, S., Sattler, S., Mehlkop, G. (2022). Mechanisms of Perceived Social Norms: The Mediating and Moderating Role of Morality and Outcome Expectations on Prescription Drug Misuse in the Working Population. Deviant Behavior44: 359–380.[Link]
- Sattler, S., Schunck, R. (2016). Associations between the Big Five Personality Traits and the Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs for Cognitive Enhancement. Frontiers in Psychology 6: 1971. [Link]
- Wiegel, C., Sattler, S., Göritz, A.S., Diewald, M. (2016). Work-Related Stress and Cognitive Enhancement among University Teachers. Anxiety, Stress, & Coping 29: 100-117. [Link]
- Sattler, S. (2019). Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs for Cognitive Enhancement as a Response to Chronic Stress Especially When Social Support is Lacking. Stress & Health 35: 127-137. [Link]
- Dubljević, V., Sattler, S., Racine, É. (2014). Cognitive Enhancement and Academic Misconduct: A Study Exploring their Frequency and Relationship. Ethics & Behavior 24: 408-420. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Forlini, C., Racine, É., Sauer, C. (2013). Impact of Contextual Factors and Substance Characteristics on Perspectives toward Cognitive Enhancement. PLoS One 8: e71452. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Sauer, C., Mehlkop G., Graeff, P. (2013). The Rationale for Consuming Cognitive Enhancement Drugs in University Students and Teachers. PLoS One 8: e68821. [Link]
- Sattler, S., Wiegel, C. (2013). Cognitive Test Anxiety and Cognitive Enhancement: The Influence of Students’ Worries on their Use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs. Substance Use & Misuse 48: 220-232. [Link]
Für das Intro danken wir
Niklas Schönfeld, für die Einsprecher Molina Panzner und Erica Shires und für das Podcast-Cover Corinna Mehl.
Bei Fragen, Rückmeldungen oder Vorschlägen könnt ihr dem ZiF-Kommunikationsteam eine Mail an
zif-info@uni-bielefeld.de schreiben oder euch über Instagram unter
@zif_bielefeld melden.
