The acute effects of classic psychedelics on memory in humans

Summary & key facts

This review looked at human studies of classic psychedelics (for example psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca). It found two main patterns. First, on lab memory tests the drugs produce dose-dependent impairments: low doses usually show no problems, and higher doses produce increasing problems on tasks that measure working memory, semantic memory, and non-autobiographical episodic memory. Second, the drugs often make autobiographical memories more vivid and can bring up emotionally intense memories that had been avoided or forgotten. The review also notes that memory test impairments can be smaller in people who have more prior psychedelic experience.

Key facts:

• The paper is a review of human experimental, observational, and qualitative studies; animal studies and case reports were excluded.
• Classic psychedelics produced dose-dependent impairments on memory task performance: low doses produced no impairment and higher doses produced increasing impairment.
• Memory impairments were reported across task types, including spatial and verbal working memory, semantic memory, and non-autobiographical episodic memory.
• Classic psychedelics increased the vividness of autobiographical memories and often stimulated recall or re-experiencing of affectively intense (positive or negative) memories.
• Impairments on memory tasks appeared to be less pronounced among people with more previous psychedelic experience.

Topics

Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques Chemical synthesis and alkaloids Psychedelics and Drug Studies

Categories

Clinical Psychology Psychology Social Sciences

Tags

Autobiographical memory Cognition Cognitive psychology Economics Episodic memory Hallucinogen Law Management MEDLINE Memory impairment Neuroscience Political science Psilocybin Psychiatry Psychology PsycINFO Recall Task (project management)

Substances

Ayahuasca LSD Psilocybin

Conditions & symptoms

Difficulty focusing