"Brain doping" substances: prohibited or not in sports?

ABSTRACT: There is increasing interest in the area of brain doping among athletes. The term 'brain doping' refers to enhancing mental performance through the non-medical use of specific pharmacological substances, such as drugs and medicines. Despite hundreds of studies, it is challenging to specify well-defined and described substances that could contribute to improving cognitive abilities in sports. Therefore, we systematically reviewed existing scientific literature to identify 'brain doping' substances with proven beneficial effects on sports performance. Only 9 research studies, consisting of 7 interventional and 2 case studies, have investigated the current knowledge on substances that have or may affect the brain at the cognitive level in the context of sports. Simultaneously, we reviewed the

SUBMITTER: Pokrywka A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12492343 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature