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RESIDENT: Investigating the Impact of Serotonergic Psychedelic Drugs, MDMA and Ketamine on Social Cognition in Psychiatric Disorders: A Scoping Review

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Presenting Author(s): Nicholas Lik Hang Lee

Co-Author(s): Sarah Ann Smith, Haseeb Mohammad, 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

Date and time: 21 Mar 2026 from 13:55 to 14:10

Location: Saddleback & Glacier  Floor Map

Learning Objectives

  1. Ketamine;
  2. 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA); and
  3. Serotonergic psychedelics (e.g., psilocybin; LSD; ayahuasca).

Abstract

Interest in psychedelic drugs has rapidly increased due to their potential in treating psychiatric disorders. A prominent symptom of such psychiatric disorders is impairment in the sociocognitive skills necessary to build and maintain social relationships. There is evidence that drugs such as 3-4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin can be used to treat these impairments in psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. The objective of this review is to determine if psychedelic drugs may act as modulators of social cognition in individuals who are experiencing cognitive impairments due to psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders. A search was conducted on MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, and Scopus electronic databases. Using the search terms included 'psychedelic,' 'psychiatric disorder,' and 'social cognition.' A total of 20 studies evaluating the impacts of ketamine, MDMA, psilocybin, LSD, and ayahuasca on several depressive disorders, several anxiety disorders, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were identified. Results were positive for ketamine, psilocybin and LSD as modulators of recognition of facial emotions in depressive disorders. There were also positive results for MDMA in participants with PTSD, noting improvements in psychosocial functioning, self-awareness and self-compassion. Our findings indicate that psychedelic drugs could have positive effects on social cognition in psychiatric disorders. However, all studies were small-scale and preliminary, and very few studies investigated each drug's effects on each disorder. More clinical research is needed before results are applied to clinical settings.

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