How dementia drugs could be used by the military

Army leaders in various countries have trialled compounds that can keep soldiers awake and alert – or send them to sleep
The pilot of a F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter prepares to take off from a US aircraft carrier.
The pilot of a F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet prepares to take off from a US aircraft carrier. Some American military authorities allow the use of amphetamines by those operating single or two-seater aircraft. Photograph: Koji Sasahara/AP

Drugs that reduce anxiety, tiredness and memory loss – all associated with the treatment of dementia – could be used "off-label" as cognitive enhancers by military personnel, according to a Royal Society report.

While caffeine and nicotine are used routinely to reduce fatigue and improve attention, British armed forces prohibit other stimulants in training or on operations. The US air force still allows amphetamines in some cases, such as where single or two-seater aircraft are involved.

The military in several countries have tested modafinil, a drug licensed to treat sleepiness in narcoleptics, and found it effective at maintaining performance in the sleep-deprived. Other drugs might help personnel learn faster by improving their attention and working memory, the report states.

More controversial are those drugs that could be used against opponents. The report highlights a natural compound called oxytocin that is released during childbirth, lactation and orgasm, and is involved in trust and bonding. Drugs based on oxytocin might potentially make adversaries more trusting and willing to give up information, though the report is cautious not to overstate the effects.

The report goes on to raise the prospect of drugs that could knock adversaries out. In 2002, Russian special forces used an anaesthetic, thought to be fentanyl, to subdue tens of attackers who held more than 800 people hostage in a Moscow theatre. The drug killed more than 100 in the building, highlighting the dangers of the approach.

The difficulty in making an effective knock-out drug will be hard to overcome, the report states, becauseany drug that reliably incapacitates is likely to kill in higher concentrations.

The report calls on the UK government to clarify its interpretation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans chemical weapons, including drugs that cause temporary incapacitation, but has an exemption that allows the use of toxic chemicals for domestic law enforcement.

The authors say the coalition has recently shifted its interpretation of the convention, suggesting that incapacitating chemicals are permitted for law enforcement.

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