The CBS program “Limitless” is one of the hottest crime dramas on American television right now. Based on a movie of the same name, the series dramatizes what happens when the main character takes a pill that gives him access to every neuron in his brain. This allows him to recall every memory he has ever formed and temporarily makes him the smartest man in the world.
Although the magical drug that Brian Finch takes is fictional, “smart pills” of a less spectacular variety are real. Cognition-enhancing stimulants such as Ritalin and Adderall are prescribed to help students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and trouble focusing on their assignments. And for at least a decade, young professionals — seeking an edge in their competitive workplaces — have been using those same drugs to make their minds work a bit better. Sometimes they have prescriptions from a doctor.
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