Better Memories, Smarter Minds, Larger Horizons

Drug makers trying to create smart drugs and better memory drugs are approaching the goal from several directions. First of all, the need for an effective anti-Alzheimer's drug is growing critical--with the aging of the western world, Russia, and China. Next, competition in schools and the workplace (including the casino) makes a better memory worth its weight in gold. Effective drug treatments to mitigate disability from mental retardation are also being sought. Finally, society itself is in need of a more intelligent population--to maximise solutions to problems, and to minimise crime and delinquency.

Beyond traditional treatment approaches to Alzheimer's, ADHD, and abnormal drowsiness, some genuinely novel approaches to smart drugs are being tested in several research labs.

AMPAkines
CREB
PDE Inhibitors(4,10)
Nicotinic Alpha-7 agonists
mGluR antagonists
5HT6 antagonists

Frontrunners in the pharmaceutical race for smarter, better memory drugs include Memory Pharmaceuticals, Cortex Pharmaceuticals, Saegis Pharmaceuticals, Helicon, Lilly, Pfizer, Wyeth, Merck, Sention and many others. The precedent of approving drugs for erectile dysfunction (ED)--a lifestyle drug--suggests that smart drugs will eventually be approved for drooping memories as well.

Further Reading:

Molecules for Memory

Future Directions in Neuroscience

Nootropics

Smart Drugs: What Are the Prospects?

Shaping the Brain with Smart Drugs (Gazzaniga)

CREB and Memory (basic neuroscience)

CREB, Synapses, and Memory Disorders

Hat tip Advanced Nano and Kurzweilai.net