title: A preliminary study on cognitive enhancer consumption behaviors and motives of French Medicine and Pharmacology students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pharmaceutical neuroenhancer consumption in college students is a rather unknown phenomenon in Europe and particularly in France, where surprisingly only one study was conducted in 1988.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective is to assess prevalence and motivations for licit (use inside medical indication) and illicit pharmaceutical neuroenhancer consumption (tablet form) in a non-selected French sample of Medicine and Pharmacology students.
  
  
  METHODS
  A validated questionnaire was send to French sample of Medicine and Pharmacology students using email. The questionnaire investigate motives for use of pharmaceutical licit (vitamin C and caffeine tablets) and illicit (methylphenidate, amphetamines, modafinil, piracetam).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 206 undergraduate students, 139 students (67.4%) declared to have consumed at least one cognitive enhancer in the past 12 months. Twelve students (8.6% of cognitive enhancers users and 5.8% of our total sample) used illicit pharmaceutical neuroenhancer. The motivations were first to improve their academic performances, second to improve their wakefulness/ vigilance, and third to improve their attention/concentration.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neuroenhancement is a widespread means of using pharmaceutical drugs in French as well as in US college campuses. Despites some limitations, these preliminary results highlight the need to boost the interest of professionals for the neuroenhancement issue in French and European students.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Neurophysiologie, Psychophysiologie et Neurophénoménologie (UNPN), Solaris, Pôle de Psychiatrie Universitaire, Hôpital Sainte-Marguerite, Marseille, France. jarthur.micoulaud@gmail.com.
authors.forename: J-A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Micoulaud-Franchi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacGregor
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fond
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004501:Education, Medical; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D008694:Methamphetamine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000077408:Modafinil; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010600:Pharmacology / Q000193:education; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015995:Prevalence; D013336:Students, Health Occupations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D008774:Methylphenidate; D002110:Caffeine; D008694:Methamphetamine; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D000077408:Modafinil; D010889:Piracetam