The following is a guest post by Dr. Andrew Hill, Lead Neuroscientist at . Click here for a fascinating audio podcast that accompanies this article. featuring Ben Greenfield and Dr. Hill. Dr. Hill received his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from UCLA in 2012, studying how attention operates in the brain. He has been employed as a Lecturer at UCLA over the past few years, teaching multidisciplinary courses on both Healthy Brain Aging and courses in Neuroscience and Psychology. Dr. Hill has published chapters on measuring and modulating human attention, and continues to research self regulation. Prior to UCLA, Dr. Hill obtained extensive experience working with both psychiatric and developmental populations as well as gaining experience in high technology areas. He received his B.S. in Psychology/Neuroscience from UMass Amherst, and is a key adviser in the formulation of the (get 20% off on your purchase with the code BEN20). --------------------------------- The Limitless Pill In the , Bradley Cooper’s character gets his hands on a smart drug (NZT-48) that enables him to be cognitively super human. The only known side effect is that his eyes change color while he is on the drug, but that changes over the course of the movie as side effects, including withdrawal symptoms, begin to get worse and worse. It’s a sci-fi thriller with a not-so-feel-good message about addiction and performance enhancing substances. And goons chasing you. Makes smart drugs sound dangerous, right? Like any good sci-fi , this movie questions our assumption on the limits of science. And some of what it is suggesting is not science fiction today. Smart drugs and nootropics are a current reality, being used more and more not to treat or remediate any active condition or complaint but towards boosting already typical or superior performance, in colleges, board rooms, military theatres, and by forward thinking gerontologists. With the wide variety of compounds available today that have some research support for cognitive effects, it is important for you to understand the risks and benefits associated with usage, or at least how to choose smarter, when choosing things that affect your brain. For example, one of the most popular misconceptions about smart drugs is that they are the same as nootropics. This may be due to similar benefits that people use them for, but ultimately they do not share the same range of effects, mechanisms of action, safety and side effects. So - what are smart drugs? What are nootropics? How do we know if something is safe or effective? What are these drugs actually doing to my brain? Why am I asking so many questions without answering them? Keep reading to get this and more information you need to understand these questions, and start formulating your own answers - and your own strategies for selecting nootropics. --------------------------------------- Smart Drugs vs. Nootropics A smart drug is generally a prescribed medication or off-label drug used primarily to treat some kind of mental or cognitive disorder. The most common are drugs such as Adderall (dextroamphetamine) or Ritalin (methylphenidate) in the stimulant class used to treat symptoms related to ADHD - although legal and illegal off-label use is rampant. And while they may promote focus and energy in some people, others have dramatic side effect, to body and brain. Smart drugs in the stimulant class also tend to be reinforcing, producing spikes in dopamine and norepinephrine. This leads to tolerance and habit formation, including adverse effects on appetite, mood stability, cardiac function, stress levels and possibly many other unwanted effects - especially on younger brains such as teens and young adults. Irritability and mood swings, anxiety, sleep issues, and other forms of emotional or cognitive regulation problems can crop up over time with stimulant use, as well. A popular atypical stimulant “smart drug” includes the narcolepsy agents Modafinil / Adrafinil, altho