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X Demographics
Mendeley readers
Attention Score in Context
| Title |
Performance enhancement at the cost of potential brain plasticity: neural ramifications of nootropic drugs in the healthy developing brain
|
|---|---|
| Published in |
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, May 2014
|
| DOI | 10.3389/fnsys.2014.00038 |
| Pubmed ID | |
| Authors |
Kimberly R. Urban, Wen-Jun Gao |
| Abstract |
Cognitive enhancement is perhaps one of the most intriguing and controversial topics in neuroscience today. Currently, the main classes of drugs used as potential cognitive enhancers include psychostimulants (methylphenidate (MPH), amphetamine), but wakefulness-promoting agents (modafinil) and glutamate activators (ampakine) are also frequently used. Pharmacologically, substances that enhance the components of the memory/learning circuits-dopamine, glutamate (neuronal excitation), and/or norepinephrine-stand to improve brain function in healthy individuals beyond their baseline functioning. In particular, non-medical use of prescription stimulants such as MPH and illicit use of psychostimulants for cognitive enhancement have seen a recent rise among teens and young adults in schools and college campuses. However, this enhancement likely comes with a neuronal, as well as ethical, cost. Altering glutamate function via the use of psychostimulants may impair behavioral flexibility, leading to the development and/or potentiation of addictive behaviors. Furthermore, dopamine and norepinephrine do not display linear effects; instead, their modulation of cognitive and neuronal function maps on an inverted-U curve. Healthy individuals run the risk of pushing themselves beyond optimal levels into hyperdopaminergic and hypernoradrenergic states, thus vitiating the very behaviors they are striving to improve. Finally, recent studies have begun to highlight potential damaging effects of stimulant exposure in healthy juveniles. This review explains how the main classes of cognitive enhancing drugs affect the learning and memory circuits, and highlights the potential risks and concerns in healthy individuals, particularly juveniles and adolescents. We emphasize the performance enhancement at the potential cost of brain plasticity that is associated with the neural ramifications of nootropic drugs in the healthy developing brain. |
X Demographics
The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 126 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 33 | 26% |
| United Kingdom | 5 | 4% |
| Germany | 3 | 2% |
| Switzerland | 3 | 2% |
| Netherlands | 3 | 2% |
| Canada | 3 | 2% |
| United Arab Emirates | 2 | 2% |
| Australia | 2 | 2% |
| Sweden | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 9 | 7% |
| Unknown | 62 | 49% |
Demographic breakdown
| Type | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Members of the public | 100 | 79% |
| Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 15 | 12% |
| Scientists | 8 | 6% |
| Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 3 | 2% |
Mendeley readers
The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 319 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.
Geographical breakdown
| Country | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2 | <1% |
| United States | 2 | <1% |
| Switzerland | 1 | <1% |
| Norway | 1 | <1% |
| Brazil | 1 | <1% |
| Finland | 1 | <1% |
| Chile | 1 | <1% |
| Canada | 1 | <1% |
| Czechia | 1 | <1% |
| Other | 2 | <1% |
| Unknown | 306 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
| Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Student > Bachelor | 69 | 22% |
| Student > Master | 44 | 14% |
| Student > Ph. D. Student | 43 | 13% |
| Researcher | 42 | 13% |
| Other | 18 | 6% |
| Other | 48 | 15% |
| Unknown | 55 | 17% |
| Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 44 | 14% |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 44 | 14% |
| Neuroscience | 40 | 13% |
| Psychology | 38 | 12% |
| Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 16 | 5% |
| Other | 71 | 22% |
| Unknown | 66 | 21% |
Attention Score in Context
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 378. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 09 March 2024.
All research outputs
#84,066
of 25,805,386 outputs
Outputs from Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
#4
of 1,410 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#602
of 242,564 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
#1
of 62 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,805,386 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 1,410 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 11.5. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 242,564 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 62 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 98% of its contemporaries.