Substance use patterns and their cognitive and mental health correlates in young adults
A new study using z-proso data, led by Dr. Lukas Eggenberger, tracked substance use patterns in young adulthood, and how they relate to cognitive functioning and mental health. This study involved the Jacobs Center’s Risk and Resilience research area (PI: Prof. Lilly Shanahan), UZH Psychiatry’s Experimental Pharmacopsychology and Psychological Addiction Research group (PI: Prof. Boris Quednow), and the UZH Center for Forensic Hair Analytics.
Using objective hair testing for over 100 psychoactive substances, the study mapped real-world substance use trajectories alongside standardized neurocognitive tests and mental health assessments. Five distinct substance use trajectories in emerging adults emerged: low/decreasing use, and increasing use of cannabis, club drugs, medical sedatives, or medical stimulants. Each profile was linked to distinct outcomes:
- Increasing cannabis and club drug use were linked to lower attention performance, with cannabis also linked to elevated anxiety-depressive and ADHD symptoms.
- Increased medical sedative use showed the strongest links to lower attention, working memory, and overall cognitive performance.
- Increased medical stimulant use was strongly associated with elevated ADHD symptoms.
These findings underscore the importance of substance-specific prevention strategies during emerging adulthood, a critical developmental period when substance use patterns often establish long-term trajectories with measurable neuropsychiatric consequences.
Publication: Eggenberger, L., Janousch, C., Johnson-Ferguson, L., et al. Changing patterns of recent substance use in emerging adulthood and their associations with cognitive functions and mental health. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 2026 (open access). DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2026.100795