Storgard 1

Channing Storgard

May 31 2020

WP2

Translating Genres

Nerve-wracking dawning

A middle, stressed school setting

at the old pressure

Healthy bear in mind

naturally exercise

in spite of the food

Right United States

As much, caffeine modifies

for the alertness

Competitive Deutschland

shall Modafinil enhance

out of Adderall
 Storgard 2

Deplorable nox

A young, ruined heart kills, gone

because of the drug

Moral commission

A mind blowing brain reshape

out of prescription

Cognitive enhancement has been an emerging topic in today’s society, specifically in

Western countries. I have always been interested in ways to maximize all parts of my genetics,

from mental to physical, and have researched nutrition and exercise extensively for these

purposes. Most people in our society are very heavily reliant on caffeine to be able to perform in

various facets of life, and it has been a big marketing tactic in focus pills and pre workout

supplements. Many people also use other cholinergic agents and dopaminergic agents, like

nicotine and adderall, without being aware of the actual biochemistry behind them. There is

plenty of data on how certain substances work, and whether or not their benefits are based on

subjective or objective evidence. In high school, I was having plenty of trouble focusing on my

schoolwork, and was prescribed Adderall, an amphetamine, to improve my focus. Initially, I felt

an immense benefit from the drug; I would take it and complete all of my week’s assignment

within a day. With time, I noticed the benefits were slowly dissipating and I would receive

nothing but negativity from the drug. I researched all sorts of ways to try to get the “magic” back

from my medication, and would employ tactics such as taking calcium supplements to create a
 Storgard 3

less acidic environment in my stomach to increase absorption of the drug. I would drink coffee in

addition to slow down the rate at which the drug was metabolized out of my body, and I would

have “drug holidays” where I would not take the medication. During these times I was able to get

a sense of just how much I was altering my brain chemistry. I would sleep for upwards of 16

hours on those days, I was extremely irritable, and experienced an extreme lack of interest in any

sort of activity. After recovering from this period and swearing off the drug, this sparked my

interest in learning some pharmacology/neurology/biochemistry. With research, I discovered that

amphetamines are quite neurotoxic, and have many mechanisms of action outside of the

dopamine receptor. I learned about the mental benefits of exercise, and began exercising more to

attempt to repair any damages I had done to my glutamate/dopamine/serotonin balance. I also

started taking more natural supplements to support these neurotransmitters.

This article was selected as it discusses the use of cognitive enhancers among students

and those seeking to gain an edge in their work, as well as how this is causing a problem in

government regulation of these compounds because of the health risks involved. Cardiovascular

problems, tolerance, and psychological disorders are all possible problems associated with these

dopaminergic and noradrenergic agents. The author of this article, Giovanna Ricci, gives a

rundown of the current situation, focusing on ethical and regulatory implications when using

these “nootropics,” and she focuses on the Italian Code of Medical Ethics and compares them

with international regulations.

The article is written from a biological standpoint, specifically psychiatry. Its genre

would be a scientific review article. A review article has a few different functions: to organize,

evaluate, and synthesize literature, and identify patterns and trends in the literature, as well as

research gaps with recommendations for new areas of research. A review article is an analysis of
 Storgard 4

literature in a specific field, using techniques such as summary, comparison, and classification to

remain constructive and critical. New data is not presented in the review, it instead relies on

previous publications. A review article is aimed to the audience of those specializing in specific

research fields, students/researchers, and those needing to make decisions.

The genre I aimed to translate it to is poetry, specifically a haiku. A haiku is a poem with

three lines, where the first and last lines have 5 sound units/syllables, and the middle line has 7

syllables. A poem is a genre aimed at anyone willing to appreciate it, mainly those who read

poetry, or anyone who enjoys reading for pleasure. Although poems are open to interpretation,

the author generally has their own intentions behind the poem. In order to translate this scientific

review to the genre of poetry, I examined the key points of the review, and aimed to paint them

in a different, more dramatic picture. The first haiku I wrote relates to the portion of the review

which discusses students who use nootropics due to stressful school situations. The second haiku

discusses exercise and diet as ways to improve cognitive performance. The third haiku comments

on how the United States plays an important role as a global leader on regulatory affairs, with an

additional discussion of the large quantities of caffeine the average American consumes. The

fourth haiku comments on Germany, where the author of the review article is from, and how

those in German schools have been increasingly using substances such as the new “modafinil” as

well as adderall. The fifth haiku discusses the negatives of using these mind altering substances,

specifically how cardiovascular health is often put in danger as outlined by the article. The sixth

haiku discusses the various ethical committees trying to act in a way which preserves human

cognitive health without denying people of their medicinal and other personal rights, trying to

find the happy medium that has yet to be found, as cognitive enhancement can have drastic

effects, benefits, and negatives to individuals and society as a whole.

 Storgard 5

Works Cited

Ricci, Giovanna. “Pharmacological Human Enhancement: An Overview of the Looming

Bioethical and Regulatory Challenges.” Frontiers in Psychiatry, Frontiers Media S.A., 17

Feb. 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7037021/.

Storgard 6