Frontiers in Pharmacology
September 16, 2021
Lukas A. Basedow, Thomas Riemer, Simon Reiche et al.
16 citations
Repeated use of serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD, ayahuasca, and peyote is associated with distinct neuropsychological profiles rather than a uniform pattern of impairment. A systematic review of 13 studies (539 participants) found that LSD users performed worse on executive-functioning tasks, ayahuasca users showed better performance on the Stroop incongruent task, and peyote users showed no differences across domains. However, methodological quality varied widely, and most studies failed to fully control for confounding factors like other substance use. The evidence suggests that different psychedelics may have different long-term cognitive consequences.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
January 21, 2022
Melina Wiedmann, Sören Kuitunen-Paul, Lukas A. Basedow et al.
5 citations
Among adolescent psychiatry outpatients with substance use disorder, attenuated psychotic symptoms were linked to MDMA (ecstasy) use and trauma history, but not to cannabis use. In a sample of 46 adolescents, 35% reported using MDMA in addition to cannabis. Statistical analysis showed that MDMA use and trauma history were each associated with more psychotic-like symptoms, while cannabis use, gender, and birth complications were not. The authors suggest that cannabis may increase psychosis risk only after longer use or when combined with other factors like trauma. Clinicians should screen for psychotic symptoms in adolescents who use both MDMA and cannabis.
May 16, 2025
Lukas A. Basedow, Lynn Lottes, Irina Falkenberg et al.
1 citation
preprint
In a survey of 404 people, established depression treatments like psychotherapy (98.3% acceptance) were more accepted and preferred over novel interventions such as psilocybin-assisted therapy (47.5% acceptance). Participants expected greater symptom improvement from traditional treatments and associated ketamine and psilocybin with higher risks of worsening and side effects. However, individuals with more severe depressive symptoms showed more favorable expectations toward these novel therapies, an effect not seen for standard treatments. The findings suggest that unfamiliarity and risk concerns drive skepticism about psychedelic-assisted therapies, and that managing patient expectations and improving clinician education could increase acceptance.