SMART DRUGS: Can we hack our way to a better brain?
We all want to be better, smarter, faster versions of ourselves — and increasingly, people are reaching for a pill to do it. Students take Ritalin before exams, workers reach for modafinil. A booming ‘smart drug’ market promises to unlock your brain’s hidden potential. And the wish for a sharper mind may become far more urgent in older age, when memory starts to slip on its own. But does any of it work?
Behind these pills is a whole cast of chemical messengers – dopamine and others – that shape far more than raw brainpower. They influence how alert and motivated we are and how sharply we perceive the world. So what happens when you nudge these systems with a pill? Perhaps instead of getting a sharper mind, you simply see new information slightly differently, and become more motivated to do the actual work. When it comes to conditions such as mild cognitive impairment, being more motivated is simply not enough. Can we actually improve our memory and cognition?
On September 7th, Science Café Nijmegen kicks off the new season at Irish pub The Shamrock, welcoming three leading scientists: Roshan Cools (Donders Institute, Radboudumc), Jan Willem de Gee (University of Amsterdam) and Jos Prickaerts (Peitho Translational). In this Dutch-language edition, they will dive into the neurochemistry of motivation, attention and decision-making, and take us behind the scenes of how a memory drug is made. Can we really hack our way to a better brain? Don’t expect an easy answer — but perhaps a more interesting one because of it. Alongside the thought-provoking science, live jazz by Trio In Dubio will provide stimulation of a different kind. Altogether, an evening your dopamine will judge well worth the effort.
scientists/8 pm Roshan Cools (RU), Jan Willem de Gee (UvA), Jos Prickaerts (Peitho Translational)
music/7.30 pm Trio In Dubio
moderator Bob Stienen
time Monday September 7th 2026, 7.30/8 – 10 pm
venue The Shamrock, Smetiusstraat 17, Nijmegen
admission free admission (no reservation)
language Dutch