Dear Colleagues,

The use of drugs by people hoping to boost mental, as well as image and performance, activity is rising worldwide, particularly amongst youth populations.

The non-medical use of substances, often dubbed “smart drugs” to increase memory or concentration is known as a pharmacological cognitive enhancement (PCE), and its use is increasing worldwide. Several recent articles have described this phenomenon as impressive in its size. Several medications, such as Adderall and Ritalin—prescribed medically to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—as well as the sleep-disorder medication, modafinil, and illegal stimulants, such as cocaine, are frequently used by healthy subjects. There is an increasing “lifestyle use” of healthy people's consumption of cognitive-enhancing drugs, which raises ethical and public health concerns.

Similarly, the use of image- and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs), particularly anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), is not a new phenomenon in youth populations. Even if anabolic androgenic steroid abuse is associated with many collateral effects, adolescents and athletes frequently use a large group of synthetic derivatives of testosterone, both for aesthetic uses and for improving performance. To date, the phenomenon of doping no longer affects only professional athletes but is also found in those practicing sports activities at an amateur level, becoming an actual problem for public health.

The market of these substances is now huge and continuously increasing—for example, the online market has facilitated the uncontrolled sale of smart drugs and AASs. For these reasons, the interest in all aspects involved in smart drugs/AAS use is of great importance for the scientific community. Finally, the identification of new molecular biomarkers, both for antidoping and health purposes, remains an ambitious target.

In this way, given the topic’s importance, this Special Issue aims to collect original investigations, case series and case reports, as well as reviews, in all fields related to this phenomenon, with a main focus on innovative applications and new molecular biomarkers both for antidoping and healthcare purposes. These documents will outline how targeted research and other initiatives can be used to address any gaps or emerging issues identified.

Dr. Francesco Sessa
Prof. Dr. Monica Salerno
Guest Editors

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• Smart drugs
• Anabolic-androgenic steroids
• Image- and performance-enhancing drugs
• Brain-boosting effects
• Pharmacological cognitive enhancement
• New molecular biomarkers
• Cognitive-enhancing drugs
• Public health
• Substance use disorders
• Human enhancement drugs
• Substance use disorders treatment
• Health services