Introduction to the Symposium on Drug Improvement of Memory

Abstract

This paper introduces a symposium in which three main speakers discussed the prospect that drugs may improve cognitive functioning, including memory. Even though the participants agreed that presently available drugs can alleviate memory disorders only to a limited extent and do not increase ability of well-functioning individuals, it is important to consider social implications of drugs that might increase learning ability and intelligence. It is also important to consider, as alternatives to drugs, behavioural approaches to improving abilities that do not share possible drawbacks of pharmacological treatments. Dans ce symposium trois experts ont considere la possibilite que des agents pharmaceutiques puissent ameliorer les processus cognitifs, y compris la memoire. Bien que les participants soient d'accord qu'a heure actuelle ces agents ameliorentpeules deficits de memoire etn'augmententpas lamemoire de ceux qui fonctionnent deja bien, il est important de penser aux consequences sociales des agents pharmaceutiques susceptibles d'augmenter l'apprentissage et l'intelligence. Il est aussi important de considerer, comme alternatifs aux agents pharmaceutiques, des methodes comportementales pour ameliorer la cognition sans les effets secondaires des agents pharmaceutiques.