Plastic: Pimp My Brain

"New drugs allow healthy people to increase their brain functioning to above-average levels. 'Brain-booster' drugs such as donepezil, modafinil, and methylphenidate (Ritalin) are officially approved only for use on patients with problems like narcolepsy, Alzheimer's disease, and attention deficit disorder. But as a growing number of scientific studies (and many anecdotal accounts) have suggested, these drugs also boost healthy patients' brain functioning markedly. Users have shown the ability to learn new skills more easily, focus on a tasks more completely, react to emergencies faster, and remember things more easily. For example, a study of donepezil use among U.S. Air Force pilots showed that those using the drug picked up skills taught in flight simulators much faster, and performed better in emergency situations. Anecdotal evidence has professionals using modafinil to improve alertness. Already, medical school students complain about top-ranked students who might owe some of their success to off-label Ritalin use. Unlike old-timer drugs like caffeine and amphetamines, these drugs target the specific neurotransmitters in specific regions of the brain."