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The culture of academia is a demanding and often times unforgiving one. It reflects the general cultural fixation on productivity, efficiency, and competition. Members of academia, particularly students at top-level universities, feel immense pressure to keep on top of their studies. This proves to be no easy task when assignments pile up and time runs thin. As a solution, students are increasingly turning to "study drugs" like Adderall and Ritalin. These prescription pills were developed to counter the effects of ADHD, but are being used for cognitive enhancement among unaffected individuals. This has sparked nationwide debate. The following lines attempt to understand the medications and explore the ethical nature of cognitive enhancement.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and an important secondary cause of death in many industrialized nations. In the United States, it is estimated that 2.4 million to 4.5 million people currently have AD (Alzheimer's Disease: Unraveling the Mystery). Although AD is still incurable, within the past decade, researchers have focused on music therapy as a beneficial palliative treatment for geriatric patients who have AD, as well as a variety of other neurologic disorders.

We have all been told that first impressions are important. How important would you say they are and at what point in life do they begin to matter? Would you believe it if someone told you that unattractive infants have significantly lower developmental skills? Although this may not be scientifically true, 64% of parents believe this (1). In fact, this kind of presumption does not stop with infant abilities but continues in the classroom, work area, and even when choosing politicians?

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Writers, philosophers, inventors, and artists have all spoken of sudden insights and epiphanies as being creative muses responsible for their greatest works and masterpieces. Isaac Newton, after all, is said to have conceptualized his ideas on gravity when an apple fell from a tree and hit his head. Whether composing a symphony or solving a crossword puzzle, we are constantly generating novel ideas. These insights are often chalked up to bursts of creative genius, but scientists are determined to understand the biochemical mechanisms that produce these seemingly unprompted epiphanies.

 

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