What Is LSD? A Look At The Research

This article was originally published on Microdose Psychedelic Insights and appears here with permission

To celebrate Bicycle Day, Microdose is devoting the month of April to an exploration of LSD. To help answer the question of what is LSD, we’re taking a closer look at LSD research, past and present (click here for a look at the early days of LSD research). 

Here’s a list of some major LSD research conducted in the modern era.

LSD and Serotonin Receptor Binding

Radioligand binding evidence implicates the brain 5-HT2 receptor as a site of action for LSD and phenylisopropylamine hallucinogens

A 1984 study published in the journal Science investigated the binding of LSD to serotonin receptors in the brain. This study, though done over 40 years ago, provided important information about the biochemical mechanisms underlying the effects of LSD and contributed to our understanding of its action on the serotonin system.

Reference: Titeler, M., Lyon, R. A., & Glennon, R. A. (1988). Radioligand binding evidence implicates the brain 5-HT2 receptor as a site of action for LSD and phenylisopropylamine hallucinogens. Psychopharmacology

LSD and Cluster Headaches

Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD

A 2006 study published in the journal Neurology explored the potential of LSD and psilocybin in treating cluster headaches, a debilitating and painful condition. The researchers found that both substances provided significant relief for a majority of the participants.

Reference: Sewell, R. A., Halpern, J. H., & Pope, H. G. (2006). Response of cluster headache to psilocybin and LSD. Neurology

LSD and End-of-Life Anxiety

Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease investigated the efficacy of LSD-assisted psychotherapy in reducing anxiety related to life-threatening illnesses. The study found that LSD-assisted psychotherapy significantly reduced anxiety in participants with life-threatening diseases.

Reference: Gasser, P., Holstein, D., Michel, Y., Doblin, R., Yazar-Klosinski, B., Passie, T., & Brenneisen, R. (2014). Safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease

Effects of LSD on Brain Function

Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging

A 2016 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences investigated the neural correlates of LSD’s effects on human brain function. The study demonstrated that LSD induced increased connectivity between various brain regions, which was associated with the subjective effects of the drug.

Reference: Carhart-Harris, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S., Roseman, L., Kaelen, M., Droog, W., Murphy, K., … & Leech, R. (2016). Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

LSD and Neuroplasticity

Psychedelics promote structural and functional neural plasticity

A 2021 study published in the journal Cell Reports demonstrated the potential of LSD to enhance neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to form new neural connections). The study found that LSD promoted the growth of dendritic spines, which are essential for neural communication, learning, and memory.

Reference: Ly, C., Greb, A. C., Cameron, L. P., Wong, J. M., Barragan, E. V., Wilson, P. C., … & Olson, D. E. (2021). Psychedelics promote structural and functional neural plasticity. Cell Reports

LSD and Creativity

Increased novelty and symbolic thinking, decreased utility and convergent thinking

A 2022 study showed that LSD, compared to placebo, changed several creativity measurements pointing to three overall LSD-induced phenomena: (1) ‘pattern break’, reflected by increased novelty, surprise, originality and semantic distances; (2) decreased ‘organization’, reflected by decreased utility, convergent thinking and, marginally, elaboration; and (3) ‘meaning’, reflected by increased symbolic thinking and ambiguity in the data-driven results.

Reference: Isabel Wießner, Marcelo Falchi,  Luís Fernando Tófoli.  LSD and creativity: Increased novelty and symbolic thinking, decreased utility and convergent thinking. Journal of Psychopharmacology

Conclusion

These studies underscore the potential of LSD in various therapeutic applications, from anxiety to the enhancement of creativity and cognitive function. And the science continues to come in, as shown by the recent promising results using LSD for depression, published by MindMed collaborators from the Liechti LAb in Basel (see more here).