Annotated Bibliography On Drugs On The Brain

Annotated Bibliography

Edelson, Edward (1987). Drugs & the Brain. Chelsea House Publishers. This source is part of “The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Drugs: Series 2” and explains the effect of using drugs on the brain. In depth, the source talks about how the brain works, and how the use of various drugs affects the brain. One section in the book is about using stimulants, specifically amphetamine and cocaine, and how it may affect the brain. It’s not just the bad affects on the brain, it also talks about some of the good affects the drugs may put upon the brain, Juliano, L.M. (2012). Development of the Caffeine Withdrawal Symptom Questionnaire: Caffeine withdrawal symptoms cluster into 7 factors. Drug and Alcohol Dependence,
124.3, 229-234.
This article explains the withdrawal symptoms in caffeine users and its objective is to understand and limit the list of withdrawal symptoms from caffeine. In order to do this, they had 213 caffeine consumers complete a survey called the “Caffeine Withdrawal Symptom Questionnaire (CWSQ),” after 16 days of caffeine abstinence. After collecting all of the results, they managed to limit the symptoms to seven, which includes, fatigue/drowsiness, low alertness, mood disturbances, low concentration, nausea, flu-like feelings, and headaches.

Cascio, J. (2012). Get Smarter. Evolving Ideas: Focused Inquiry (97-104). Plymouth,
MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing.
In Get Smarter, Cascio talk about how people of our generation have certain advancements in technology and pharmacology that help improve and quicken our brain function in order to adapt and survive.
What helps contribute to my research, Cascio talks about the Pharmacological advancements that have been used to increase focus and concentration. For example, he talks about modafinil, a drug that can keep a person awake and alert for over 32 hours, with extended use. Other drugs he lists include ADD drugs, which are used as study aids. The use of ADD drugs enables boost recall, brain plasticity, and empathy and emotional
intelligence.

Talbot, M. (2012). Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing Drugs.
Evolving Ideas: Focused Inquiry (97-104). Plymouth,MI: Hayden-McNeil Publishing.
This reading would help my research a lot, because it is pretty much the epitome of what my research is. It gives stories and research on the use neuroenhancement drugs in college, and describes the intensity on how focused these drugs can make you. In college, students try to balance their academic and social life, however they somehow manage put more weight on their social life, and in return puts less weight on their academic life. Students do notice this, but don’t believe that they can do it on their own alone. So, they turn to neuroenhancement drugs to help. This is mostly what the reading is about.
Brain Gain: The Underground World of “Neuroenhancing” Drugs is about supplements, mainly Adderall, that are taken in order to increase focus.
Adderall is mainly prescribed to those who are diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Talbot started her article with a story about a Harvard student, who has used Adderall in order to successfully make his way through college. This story completely relates to my research and is used as evidence on how students actually do resort to the use of neuroenhancement drugs to cope for the amount of work and stress that college comes with. By this statement, I believe that most students are very dependent on drugs such as Adderall in order to do well in college, or even at least pass. However, there are side effects to using drugs such as Adderall: nervousness, headaches, sleeplessness, and decreased appetite. According to the F.D.A, “amphetamines have a high potential for abuse.” Students need to realize that as helpful as neuroenhancement drugs are, there are risks if they are used
excessively.