Students and trainees are increasingly taking medication in stressful situations to increase their ability to concentrate or to reduce nervousness. They often underestimate the health consequences. Enhancement technologies, which include brain doping, may have side effects that have a negative impact on users' health. The use of performance-enhancing substances raises ethical and social questions. What motives justify their use? Is it personal reasons to improve oneself, is it pressure from the group or society? Does the use of enhancement technologies possibly lead to greater social inequality or does it drive up the costs of the healthcare system to incalculable heights? What does this form of "human enhancement" mean for people themselves: are they now becoming "objects to be tinkered with"?

The aim of the "cognitive enhancement" project was to improve the brain,

  • discuss the use of brain doping in a factual and neutral way and explain ethical, social and legal issues as indicated above,
  • to introduce young people to the discourse on ethical, legal and social issues of modern life sciences,
  • to contribute to the rationality of public communication and to the formation of opinion and will among young people,
  • To provide competences in dealing with uncertainties, complexity and ambiguity,
  • To develop procedural models, methods and instruments for school and out-of-school political education in order to provide orientation knowledge on the relevance and quality characteristics of discourses.
  • to use the example of the topic to initiate reflections on cognitive performance enhancement and neuro-enhancement in general.

The IZT is aware of its responsibility in dealing with young people on controversial issues and strictly observes the principles of data protection. Aspects of gender mainstreaming and accessibility were taken into account as a cross-sectional task in all project phases.