Investigating the impact of serotonergic psychedelic drugs, MDMA and ketamine on social cognition in psychiatric disorders: A scoping review.
Sarah Ann Smith, Haseeb Mohammad, Lik Hang N Lee, Liz Dennett, Shaina Smith, Lisa Burback, Olga Winkler, Andrew Greenshaw, Rakesh Jetly, Sidney H Kennedy, Venkat Bhat, Jennifer Swainson, Eric Vermetten, Bo Cao, Xin-Min Li, Yanbo Zhang
Psychopharmacology July 1, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/s00213-026-07110-y via PubMed
Summary
Psychedelic drugs like ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, and LSD may influence social cognition in individuals with psychiatric disorders. The review identified twenty studies showing that ketamine and psilocybin could enhance social perception, especially in facial emotion processing for depressive disorders. MDMA showed positive effects on self-reported psychosocial functioning in PTSD patients. However, direct evidence of improved social-cognitive functioning is still limited.
Study at a glance
| Design | scoping review |
|---|---|
| Population | individuals with psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders such as depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder |
| Key finding | Current evidence suggests that psychedelic drugs may modulate processes relevant to social cognition in psychiatric disorders. |
Abstract
Interest in psychedelic drugs has increased rapidly because of their potential therapeutic role in psychiatric disorders. Impairments in the sociocognitive skills needed to build and maintain social relationships are prominent features of many psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Emerging evidence suggests that compounds such as 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and psilocybin may influence these impairments. This review aimed to determine whether psychedelic drugs may modulate social cognition in individuals with psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders associated with cognitive impairment. A search of the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Scopus databases was conducted. Twenty studies were identified that evaluated the effects of ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca in depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Findings included neural activation patterns suggesting that ketamine and psilocybin may modulate processes relevant to social perception, particularly facial emotion processing, in depressive disorders. Positive findings were also reported for MDMA in participants with PTSD, including improvements in self-reported psychosocial functioning, self-awareness, and self-compassion. Current evidence suggests that psychedelic drugs may modulate processes relevant to social cognition in psychiatric disorders, although direct evidence of improved social-cognitive functioning remains limited. Not applicable.