STIMULANT USE IN SPORTS

The authors provide an overview of the topic of stimulant use in psych iatric sports medicine. They address the following areas: I) the histo ry of stimulant use in sports; 2) recent events related to the use of stimulants in sports, including a new stimulant used at the 1996 Olymp ic competition in Atlanta, GA; 3) ergogenic or ergolytic (i.e., perfor mance-impairing) potential of several major categories of stimulants, including amphetamines, beta, agonists, caffeine, and cocaine; 4) revi ew of how the brain reward circuit is affected by stimulants; 5) indiv idual factors that induce athletes to utilize stimulants; and 6) sport s organizational factors that induce athletes to use stimulants.