Psychopharmacology
April 15, 2026
Hanna Molla, Evan Hahn, Christian Ramos et al.
Abstract Rationale Many cannabis users claim that one reason they use cannabis is to relieve stress or dampen effects of stressful memories. However, the processes by which cannabis or its primary constituent, Δ 9 -tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) alleviate stressful experiences remains unclear. Objective Here, we assessed whether low oral doses of THC reduce emotional or physiological responses to...
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
March 1, 2026
Jonah Griffin-Stolbach, Hanna Molla, Donald Hedeker et al.
There has been great interest in the use of very low doses of psychedelic drugs like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to improve mood and cognition. However, controlled studies have thus far provided little support for their efficacy. One challenge is that the subjective effects are subtle and on the threshold of detectability, whereas the questionnaires used to assess the drugs' effects were...
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
January 13, 2026
James Glazer, Hanna Molla, Royce Lee et al.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has been considered as a potential treatment for depression for over 75 years, but its therapeutic potential has only recently been considered in mainstream psychiatry. Repeated ingestion of low doses of LSD ("microdoses") is thought to reduce depression, but the neurobiology underlying this effect is unknown. We previously reported that low doses of LSD...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
September 16, 2025
Ramona L. Martinez, Nina Radošić, Hanna Molla et al.
1 citation
Our findings extend previous research by demonstrating that MDMA increases feelings of trust in the social world beyond lab-specific interaction partners. These findings are consistent with user reports of generalized social well-being effects and support the idea that MDMA may have clinical value from a social psychological perspective.
Scientific Reports
December 28, 2024
Harriet de Wit, Evan Hahn, Shahd Smadi et al.
1 citation
Psychoactive drugs such as alcohol and stimulants are typically used in social settings such as bars, parties or small groups. Yet, relatively little is known about how social contexts affect responses to drugs, or how the drugs alter social interactions. It is possible that positive social contexts enhance the rewarding properties of drugs, perhaps increasing their potential for repeated use...
Psychedelic medicine (New Rochelle, N.Y.)
December 1, 2024
Connor J Haggarty, Hanna Molla, James Glazer et al.
2 citations
Despite widespread popular interest in the use of low doses of Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to improve mood, little is known about how these doses affect emotional processing in the brain. In this study, we tested the effect of a single low dose of LSD (26 µg) compared with placebo on electroencephalogram (EEG) event-related potentials (ERP: N170, P300 and Mismatch Negativity) in healthy...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 1, 2024
Hanna Molla, Royce Lee, Ilaria Tare et al.
37 citations
Recent studies and anecdotal reports suggest that psychedelics can improve mood states, even at low doses. However, few placebo-controlled studies have examined the acute effects of low doses of LSD in individuals with psychiatric symptoms. In the current study, we examined the acute and sub-acute effect of a low dose of LSD (26 µg) on subjective effects and mood in volunteers with mild...
Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
2024
Hanna Molla, Giovanni Novembre, Anya K. Bershad et al.
The stimulant ± 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) has been shown to enhance the perceived pleasantness of touch. However, the underlying neural processes contributing to touch-related effects of MDMA are not well understood. Using a double-blind, randomized, within-subject design, this study used fMRI to examine hemodynamic changes following MDMA (1.5 mg/kg) vs. lactose placebo...
Scientific Reports
September 22, 2023
Hanna Molla, Royce Lee, Sonja Lyubomirsky et al.
28 citations
MDMA is a stimulant-like drug with distinctive empathogenic effects. Its pro-social effects, such as feelings of connectedness, may contribute to both its popularity as a recreational drug and its apparent value as an adjunct to psychotherapy. However, little is known about the behavioral processes by which MDMA affects social interactions. This investigation examined the effects of MDMA (100...
Addict Biol
February 1, 2022
Harriet de Wit, Hanna Molla, Anya K. Bershad et al.
82 citations
The resurgence of interest in using psychedelic drugs, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), in psychiatry has drawn attention to the medically unsupervised practice of 'microdosing'. Thousands of users claim that very low doses of LSD, taken at 3-4-day intervals, improve mood and cognitive function., However, few controlled studies have described the effects of the drug when taken in...