„Brain doping” substances: prohibited or not in sports?

There is increasing interest in the area of brain doping among athletes. The term 'brain doping' refers to enhancing mental performance through the non-medical use of specific pharmacological substances, such as drugs and medicines. Despite hundreds of studies, it is challenging to specify well-defined and described substances that could contribute to improving cognitive abilities in sports. Therefore, we systematically reviewed existing scientific literature to identify 'brain doping' substances with proven beneficial effects on sports performance. Only 9 research studies, consisting of 7 interventional and 2 case studies, have investigated the current knowledge on substances that have or may affect the brain at the cognitive level in the context of sports. Simultaneously, we reviewed the Polish dietary supplement market to identify active ingredients promoting cognitive functions and examine their properties related to anti-doping rules. Results from the market analysis revealed 34 substances/extracts of plant/mushroom origin and 120 synthetic substances with potential procognitive properties. Among the synthetic substances, 45 were labelled as 'unclear', including 19 presumed to 'meet WADA criteria'. In conclusion, the term 'brain doping' currently serves more as a marketing tool than as a concept describing a group of substances with scientifically proven cognitive effects. Substances marketed to consumers as 'brain doping' include substances prohibited in sports, as mentioned on the WADA Prohibited List, and those permitted for use by athletes or of unclear status. The open-ended nature of the list of prohibited substances poses challenges in definitively determining the status of many substances found in dietary supplements or medications, which may lead to unintentional violations of anti-doping rules.