When we enhance cognition with Adderall, do we sacrifice creativity? A preliminary study
PsychopharmacologyPublished 14 November 2008Open access
Martha J. Farah, Caroline Haimm, Geena Mary V. Sankoorikal, Anjan Chatterjee
Citations111
Generate an AI Snapshot to get a quick, structured summary of this paper.
Study Snapshot
ObjectiveStudy objective
MethodsResearch methodology
PopulationPopulation studied
Sample sizeSample sizes
OutcomesStudy outcomes here
ResultsStudy results comes here
LimitationsResearch study limitations comes here
A concise AI-generated summary of the paper will appear here once you click Generate AI Snapshot.
TL;DR
The preliminary evidence is inconsistent with the hypothesis that Adderall has an overall negative effect on creativity, and its effects on convergent creative thought appear to be dependent on the baseline creativity of the individual.
Abstract
The preliminary evidence is inconsistent with the hypothesis that Adderall has an overall negative effect on creativity. Its effects on divergent creative thought cannot be inferred with confidence from this study because of the ambiguity of null results. Its effects on convergent creative thought appear to be dependent on the baseline creativity of the individual. Those in the higher range of the normal distribution may be unaffected or impaired, whereas those in the lower range of the normal distribution experience enhancement.
Keywords
PsychologyNeuroscience
Psychological ReviewThe associative basis of the creative process.
4,105 Citations1962Sarnoff A. Mednick
An associative interpretation of the process of creative thinking is presented and three ways in which creative solutions may be achieved are indicated—serendipity, similarity, and mediation.
Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesCatechol <i>O</i> -methyltransferase <i>val</i> <sup> <i>158</i> </sup> <i>-met</i> genotype and individual variation in the brain response to amphetamine
896 Citations2003Venkata S. Mattay, Terry E. Goldberg +7 more
Basic evidence of an inverted-“U” functional-response curve to increasing dopamine signaling in the prefrontal cortex is extended and individuals with the met/met catechol O-methyltransferase genotype appear to be at increased risk for an adverse response to amphetamine.
AddictionNon‐medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: prevalence and correlates from a national survey
885 Citations2004Sean Esteban McCabe, John R. Knight +2 more
Evidence is provided that non-medical use of prescription stimulants is more prevalent among particular subgroups of US college students and types of colleges and intervention efforts are needed to curb this form of drug use.
Nature reviews. NeuroscienceNeurocognitive enhancement: what can we do and what should we do?
655 Citations2004Martha J. Farah, Judy Illes +7 more
The goal is to review the state of the art in neurocognitive enhancement, its attendant social and ethical problems, and the ways in which society can address these problems.
Journal of NeuroscienceMethylphenidate Enhances Working Memory by Modulating Discrete Frontal and Parietal Lobe Regions in the Human Brain
608 Citations2000Mitul A. Mehta, Adrian M. Owen +4 more
Results show that the methylphenidate-induced improvements in working memory performance occur with task-related reductions in rCBF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior parietal cortex, to be the first demonstration of a localization of a drug-induced improvement in SWM performance in humans.
NeuropsychopharmacologyAcute Administration of d-Amphetamine Decreases Impulsivity in Healthy Volunteers
439 Citations2002Harriet de Wit
It is suggested that acute doses of amphetamine decrease several forms of impulsive behavior, including increases in POMS Friendliness and Elation scales, and ARCI Euphoria and Stimulant scales.
NeuroreportEffects of bromocriptine on human subjects depend on working memory capacity
424 Citations1997Daniel Y. Kimberg, Mark D’Esposito +1 more
It is found that the effect of bromocriptine on young normal subjects depended on the subjects' working memory capacity, and this results demonstrate an empirical link between a dopamine-mediated working memory system and higher cognitive function in humans.
NaturePoll results: look who's doping
422 Citations2008Brendan A. Maher
Large-scale use and a mix of attitudes towards the drugs are found in the results of an informal survey into readers' use of cognition-enhancing drugs.
PsychopharmacologyEffects of methylphenidate on spatial working memory and planning in healthy young adults
389 Citations1997Rebecca Elliott, Barbara J. Sahakian +4 more
The results of this study are consistent with a hypothesis that methylphenidate influences performance in two conflicting ways; enhancing executive aspects of spatial function on novel tasks but impairing previously established performance.
NatureProfessor's little helper
326 Citations2007Barbara J. Sahakian, Sharon Morein‐Zamir
The use of cognitive-enhancing drugs by both ill and healthy individuals raises ethical questions that should not be ignored, argue Barbara Sahakian and Sharon Morein-Zamir.
Personality and Individual DifferencesCreative and analytic thinkers differ in their use of attentional resources
306 Citations2003Pamela I. Ansburg, Katherine Hill
NeuroImageEffects of Dextroamphetamine on Cognitive Performance and Cortical Activation
297 Citations2000Venkata S. Mattay, Joseph H. Callicott +7 more
The data shed light on the manner in which monoaminergic tone, working memory, and prefrontal function interact and demonstrate that even in normal subjects the behavioral and neurophysiologic effects of dextroamphetamine are not homogeneous.
Journal of NeurosciencePyramidal Cells, Patches, and Cortical Columns: a Comparative Study of Infragranular Neurons in TEO, TE, and the Superior Temporal Polysensory Area of the Macaque Monkey
208 Citations2000Guy N. Elston, Marcello G. P. Rosa
The results parallel morphological variation seen in layer III pyramidal neurons, suggesting that increasing complexity of basal dendritic arbors of cells, with progression through higher areas of the temporal lobe, is a general organizational principle.
The British Journal of PsychiatryA Comparative Study of Attentional Strategies of Schizophrenic and Highly Creative Normal Subjects
137 Citations1976Margaret Dykes, Andrew McGhie
The results offer support to the view that both highly creative and schizophrenic individuals habitually sample a wider range of available environmental input than do less creative individuals.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent PsychiatryDo High Doses of Stimulants Impair Flexible Thinking in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?
104 Citations1995Virginia I. Douglas, Ronald G. Barr +2 more
The generalized nature of the cognitive and motivational changes observed suggests that MPH acts on central, self-regulatory processes, and rather than eliciting perseveration, MPH appeared to improve persistence.
Child NeuropsychologyAn Investigation into the Relationship Among ADHD Symptomatology, Creativity, and Neuropsychological Functioning in Children
104 Citations2006Dione Healey, Julia J. Rucklidge
Results showed that 40% of the creative children displayed clinically elevated levels of ADHD symptomatology, but none met full criteria for ADHD, and for all other cognitive measures the creative group with ADHD symptoms outperformed the ADHD group.
Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent PsychiatryDoes Methylphenidate Constrict Cognitive Functioning?
71 Citations1989Mary V. Solanto, Esther H. Wender
PEDIATRICSAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Creativity, and the Effects of Methylphenidate
61 Citations1993Jeanne B. Funk, John B. Chessare +2 more
The data suggest that, when measured nonverbally, the creative thinking performance of boys with ADHD is not superior to that of peers who do not have ADHD, and prescribed therapy did not influence performance on this measure of creative thinking.
The British Journal of PsychiatryBehaviour and Skills of Severely Retarded Adults in Hospitals and Small Residential Homes
38 Citations1985SALLY A. RAWLINGS
The behaviour and self-help skills of mobile, severely or profoundly retarded adults with behaviour disorders, living in hospitals, were compared with those of a matched group in small homes outside hospital.
Creativity Research JournalStimulant Treatment of ADHD: Effects on Creativity and Flexibility in Problem Solving
27 Citations2003Michie O. Swartwood, Jeffery N. Swartwood +1 more
Comparison of on and off MPH data indicated that MPH administration significantly decreased symptoms of ADHD, as rated by parents on the Conners' ADHD rating scale.
Creativity Research JournalProgression in the Service of the Ego, Cognitive Styles, and Creative Thinking
22 Citations1996Lloyd D. Noppe
BioSocietiesImproving our Brains?
16 Citations2006Steven E. Hyman
Concerns related to one aspect of clinical neuroscience: the use of psychotherapeutic drugs, originally developed to treat illness, for individuals who are not ill, are highlighted.
BMJChildhood antecedents of schizophrenia: Difference in antecedents between sexes may not be genuine
7 Citations1995Chris Hollis