Global economy. How dementia drugs could be used by the military | Science. The pilot of a F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet prepares to take off from a US aircraft carrier. Some American military authorities allow the use of amphetamines by those operating single or two-seater aircraft. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/AP Drugs that reduce anxiety, tiredness and memory loss – all associated with the treatment of dementia – could be used "off-label" as cognitive enhancers by military personnel, according to a Royal Society report. While caffeine and nicotine are used routinely to reduce fatigue and improve attention, British armed forces prohibit other stimulants in training or on operations. The US air force still allows amphetamines in some cases, such as where single or two-seater aircraft are involved.
The military in several countries have tested modafinil, a drug licensed to treat sleepiness in narcoleptics, and found it effective at maintaining performance in the sleep-deprived. More controversial are those drugs that could be used against opponents. Neuroscience could mean soldiers controlling weapons with minds | Science. Soldiers could have their minds plugged directly into weapons systems, undergo brain scans during recruitment and take courses of neural stimulation to boost their learning, if the armed forces embrace the latest developments in neuroscience to hone the performance of their troops. These scenarios are described in a report into the military and law enforcement uses of neuroscience, published on Tuesday, which also highlights a raft of legal and ethical concerns that innovations in the field may bring. The report by the Royal Society, the UK's national academy of science, says that while the rapid advance of neuroscience is expected to benefit society and improve treatments for brain disease and mental illness, it also has substantial security applications that should be carefully analysed.
The report's authors also anticipate new designer drugs that boost performance, make captives more talkative and make enemy troops fall asleep. "All leaps forward start out this way. Longform. Home. Latest news, sport and comment from the Guardian.