Werning, HC (2022) The Cognitive Effects of Classic Psychedelic Drugs. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Master Thesis - Cognitive Effects of Classic Psychedelics - S3225682 - HC Werning.pdf Download (504kB) | Preview |
A thesis is an aptitude test for students. The approval of the thesis is proof that the student has sufficient research and reporting skills to graduate but does not guarantee the quality of the research and the results of the research as such, and the thesis is therefore not necessarily suitable to be used as an academic source to refer to. If you would like to know more about the research discussed in this thesis and any publications based on it, to which you could refer, please contact the supervisor mentioned.
Abstract
Introduction. Classic psychedelic drugs are increasingly investigated as a psychopharmacological aid for psychotherapeutic approaches. These drugs are used in various dosages, from sub-perceptual microdoses to fully perceptual macrodoses, to elicit diverse acute and subacute effects. Those effects are thought to be highly dependent on personal and environmental extra-pharmacological factors. Methods. This systematic review coalesced the results of 43 studies that used neuropsychological tests of cognition and highlights differences among dosages, time of testing, and extra-pharmacological factors. Results. Acutely classic psychedelics impair attention, working memory, and executive functions, while improving social cognition and creativity. In contrast, classic psychedelic users are not subacutely influenced on any domain in comparison to non-users, while traditional, regular users of the classic psychedelic Ayahuasca are better on some domains. A clinical sample with social anxiety disorder, showed cognitive improvements after the acute drug effects. Discussion. By now, it is well-established that classic psychedelics acutely impair performance on cognitive measures. Therefore, future neuropsychological research should further assess their potential efficacy in treating cognitive deficits of clinical populations with a particular focus on the under-investigated extra-pharmacological factors (i.e., personality, motivation, expectation, and intention).
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Supervisor name: | Pijnenborg, G.H.M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Clinical Neuropsychology (CN) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 19 Apr 2022 07:44 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Apr 2022 07:44 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/396 |
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