Cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA - a systematic review and meta-analysis


Journal article


Lukas A. Basedow, Tomislav Majić, Nicklas Jakob Hafiz, Engi A. E. Algharably, Reinhold Kreutz, Thomas G. Riemer
Scientific Reports, vol. 14, 2024 Jun, p. 14782


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APA   Click to copy
Basedow, L. A., Majić, T., Hafiz, N. J., Algharably, E. A. E., Kreutz, R., & Riemer, T. G. (2024). Cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA - a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific Reports, 14, 14782. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65391-9


Chicago/Turabian   Click to copy
Basedow, Lukas A., Tomislav Majić, Nicklas Jakob Hafiz, Engi A. E. Algharably, Reinhold Kreutz, and Thomas G. Riemer. “Cognitive Functioning Associated with Acute and Subacute Effects of Classic Psychedelics and MDMA - a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Scientific Reports 14 (June 2024): 14782.


MLA   Click to copy
Basedow, Lukas A., et al. “Cognitive Functioning Associated with Acute and Subacute Effects of Classic Psychedelics and MDMA - a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Scientific Reports, vol. 14, June 2024, p. 14782, doi:10.1038/s41598-024-65391-9.


BibTeX   Click to copy

@article{basedow2024a,
  title = {Cognitive functioning associated with acute and subacute effects of classic psychedelics and MDMA - a systematic review and meta-analysis},
  year = {2024},
  month = jun,
  journal = {Scientific Reports},
  pages = {14782},
  volume = {14},
  doi = {10.1038/s41598-024-65391-9},
  author = {Basedow, Lukas A. and Majić, Tomislav and Hafiz, Nicklas Jakob and Algharably, Engi A. E. and Kreutz, Reinhold and Riemer, Thomas G.},
  month_numeric = {6}
}

ABSTRACT

Introduction
Classic psychedelics and MDMA have a colorful history of recreational use, and both have recently been re-evaluated as tools for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Several studies have been carried out to assess potential long-term effects of a regular use on cognition, delivering distinct results for psychedelics and MDMA. However, to date knowledge is scarce on cognitive performance during acute effects of those substances.
 
Method
In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we investigate how cognitive functioning is affected by psychedelics and MDMA during the acute drug effects and the sub-acute (“afterglow”) window.
 
Results
Our quantitative analyses suggest that acute cognitive performance is differentially affected by psychedelics when compared to MDMA: psychedelics impair attention and executive function, whereas MDMA primarily affects memory, leaving executive functions and attention unaffected. Our qualitative analyses reveal that executive functioning and creativity may be increased during a window of at least 24 h after the acute effects of psychedelics have subsided, whereas no such results have been observed for MDMA.
 
Discussion
Our findings may contribute to inform recommendations on harm reduction for recreational settings and to help fostering differential approaches for the use of psychedelics and MDMA within a therapeutic framework.