Dr Balaet holds a PhD in Clinical Medicine and Computational Medicine from Imperial College London and is currently a Research Associate at King’s College London. She previously oversaw one of the world’s largest study arms investigating recreational drug use as part of the Great British Intelligence Test, recruiting over 500,000 participants. Over the past five years, this longitudinal dataset yielded pivotal insights into drug use patterns, mental health, and cognitive performance.

Drugs and limits of human intelligence

This talk will present the largest and most detailed analysis ever conducted of how drug use, including psychedelics, associates with differences in cognitive structure. We examine general intelligence, reaction time, crystallised intelligence, creativity, insight, language, reasoning, and memory in individuals who have used these substances from once to regularly, in various doses and patterns. Finally, we consider potential clinical and personal implications, focusing on their relevance for individuals who use drugs.