From Alastair Monro
In recurrent furores over doping in sports, I have not noticed any consideration of the role of the brain in performance as outlined in James Witts's informative article (30 January, p 38). Could any improved performance of an athlete on a performance-enhancing drug not be due, at least in part, to a mental change?
Having worked on many clinical trials, I propose one for athletes in which half of the test group is on the real drug and half on a placebo, no one knowing which. Sadly, I find it difficult to imagine top athletes agreeing to participate in such a study.
Sandwich, Kent, UK
