Urgent debate is needed to address the issue of students using cognitive enhancement drugs to gain advantages in exams, according to a professor at the University of Cambridge.

Before a recent lecture at the Royal Institution, Barbara Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology at the Department of Psychiatry, observed that the use of smart drugs such as Ritalin and Modafinil had "enormous implications for universities".

Such "smart drugs" are usually prescribed for neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, ADHD, and narcolepsy. However, they can also be procured over the Internet and used to increase the brain’s alertness.

According to surveys conducted in the United States, one in six university students are currently using such drugs, prompting fears that usage can afford unfair advantages in exam situations.

According to Sahakian, "Students say they feel it is cheating, and it puts pressure on them to feel they have to use these drugs when they don’t really want to. If these drugs become legal, it will be difficult to say you can’t use them for a competitive exam."

Although Sahakian’s work is at the forefront of research on the effects of such drugs on healthy people, their long-term effects are not yet fully known. Nevertheless, Sahakian maintains that urgent debate is now needed on the ways in which society should deal with "smart drugs" as a form of "cosmetic neurology".

"The big question is, are we all going to be taking drugs in the next 10 years and boosting our cognition in that way? And if we are, will we use them to have a shorter working week, so we can go home, spend more time with our families and have a good work/life balance? Or, will we go headlong into a 24/7 society where we work all the time because we can work all the time?"

At present, an increasing number of students are taking these drugs before examinations in order to increase their attention spans. "This is really something that universities should at least discuss. They should have some kind of strategy, some kind of active policy," Sahakian asserted.

One student commented, "Students who use such drugs undermine the hard work of the many that don’t. Although exam periods may be stressful, there are other ways of coping, like friends and university support services."

Such concerns have raised questions about the viability of using investigative methods, such as random dope testing, in universities. "Should there be urine testing?" asked Sahakian. "These questions have to be looked at."

Nevertheless, another student stressed, "I think that to subject all students to drug testing is unfair. This issue should be tackled on a wider level, such as enforcing a complete prohibition on the purchase of prescription drugs over the Internet."