Psilocybin’s effects on cognition and creativity: A scoping review
Journal of Psychopharmacology July 1, 2023 Justin N Bonnieux, Baeleigh VanderZwaag, Zahra Premji et al. 29 citations
A scoping review of 42 studies on psilocybin's effects on cognition and creativity in adults found that macrodoses tended to impair cognitive performance and creativity during the acute phase (minutes to hours after intake), while microdoses tended toward creative enhancement. The few macrodosing studies that included post-acute measures (1–85 days) reported primarily null but some positive effects. Psilocybin was mostly administered orally (83%) in bodyweight-adjusted doses (74%) to healthy participants (90%). Only 26% of studies explicitly reported safety outcomes, and among those, only one reported serious adverse reactions. The findings are limited by methodological concerns and inadequate assessment of long-term effects.