AMA confronts the rise of nootropics

Responding to the safety concerns generated by a growing personal use of nootropics, physicians at the Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) today adopted new policy discouraging the nonmedical use of prescription drugs for cognitive enhancement in healthy individuals.

Nootropics – the so-called smart drugs – include a variety of prescription drugs, supplements, or other substances that claim to improve cognitive functions of healthy individuals, particularly executive function, memory, learning or intelligence.