ReviewBiology2025
Focus on Cognitive Enhancement: A Narrative Overview of Nootropics and "Smart Drug" Use and Misuse.
Review in Biology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Protective role of hemokinin-1 against age-dependent spatial memory and attention decline in mice.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Cognitive and Mood Effects of a Soluble Mango Leaf Extract (ZynamitePharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- [Performance-related substance use in everyday life and work].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2026Review
- Prevalence and predictors of natural nootropic supplement use among medical and pharmacy students: a single-institution cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- The Role of Nootropic Supplements in Sports: Enhancing Cognitive and Physical Performance Simultaneously.Food science & nutrition · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Whilst "nootropics" are meant to treat a range of medical disorder-related cognitive impairments, the typically healthy "smart drugs" user ingests a range of drugs/molecules to achieve improved mental performance. Given the increasing levels of related concerns, this study aimed to provide an overview of the clinical pharmacological issues relating to both the most popular nootropics and the vast range of drugs that are being used as putative cognitive enhancers/smart drugs. In terms of the cognitive decline associated with neurological degenerative disorders, a significant variation in research methodology was observed. Therefore, the overall usefulness of these pharmaceuticals in various central nervous system disorders as supplements/adjuvant therapy needs to be better established before their widespread use can be recommended. The most popular smart drugs, self-administered to cope with high-perceived stress and academic/work-related pressure, were methylphenidate, modafinil, amphetamine-based compounds, and psychedelics. At present, however, there are relevant levels of uncertainty in terms of smart drugs' effectiveness in improving executive functions. Addressing the health harms associated with cognitive enhancers' intake remains challenging due to the lack of updated and contextualized epidemiological data. In particular, there appears to be a range of clinical concerns relating to the non-prescribed intake of stimulant smart drugs by otherwise healthy individuals. Enhanced training for prescribers, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals can strengthen monitoring and early intervention efforts.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.