April 2026
LSD
What April 2026's 9 new studies found, synthesized from the papers below. All LSD research →
The synthesis
Synthesized from 9 studies in the library · AI-generated, grounded in the abstracts below
Found by searching the library for LSD, lysergic acid diethylamide, lysergide, then ranked by relevance.
Research on LSD published in April 2026 spans preclinical, clinical, and historical perspectives. A preclinical study found that microdosed LSD improved pain-related measures in a mouse model of fibromyalgia, with effects varying by sex and route of administration. Reviews highlight LSD's potential for treatment-resistant depression and its historical use in psycholytic therapy, but note that evidence remains preliminary and requires rigorous validation. Overall, findings are promising but not yet conclusive for clinical use.
Evidence by study
Direction is which way each study's own result points, not our rating of the study.
What the directions mean
- Supports:
- the study found the intervention worked, or its hypothesis held.
- Opposes:
- it found the opposite, no benefit or a harm.
- No effect:
- no significant difference either way.
- Mixed:
- effects in both directions within the same study.
- Unclear:
- the abstract does not report a direction.
| Study | Design | Sample size | Direction | Finding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A New Use for an Old Compound: Microdosing LSD to Reduce Fibromyalgia Symptoms 2026 | preclinical animal study | Supports | Microdosed LSD improved pain sensitivity, discomfort, and wellbeing in a mouse model of fibromyalgia in a sex- and route-dependent manner without major safety concerns. | |
| [LSD revisited: Mechanisms of action and therapeutic potential in mental health]. 2026 | review | Supports | Argues that LSD's modulation of 5-HT2A and glutamatergic systems, linked to neuroplasticity, may underlie rapid and sustained antidepressant responses observed in early clinical studies for treatment-resistant depression. | |
| Psycholytic Therapy Using LSD: a Realist Review. 2026 | realist review | Supports | Several features of psycholytic therapy using LSD, including flexible approach, therapist presence, more than ten sessions, and maximal tolerated doses, were associated with positive outcomes and reduced adverse events. | |
| Psychedelics: Historical Context, Emerging Science, and Future Clinical Frontiers 2026 | review | Supports | Psychedelics, including LSD, show efficacy in treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and addiction but require rigorous, ethically guided scientific validation. | |
| Psychedelic Therapies for Comorbid Major Depressive Disorder and Chronic Pain: A Review of Putative Mechanisms of Action. 2026 | narrative review | Supports | Psychedelics, including LSD, may target symptoms of both major depressive disorder and chronic pain through shared mechanisms such as serotonergic modulation, anti-inflammatory effects, neuroplastic changes, and altered brain network dynamics. | |
| Dorsal Raphe Revisited: A Systems Neuroscience Lens on Psychedelic Drug Action 2026 | review | Unclear | Argues that early hypotheses that serotonergic raphe neurons drive hallucinogenic effects were incorrect, and the conceptual framework shifted after relating neural activity to behavior. | |
| Evaluating the evidence for repressed memory recovery in psychedelic contexts 2026 | scoping review | 53 | No effect | The reviewed literature does not offer a coherent explanation for how psychedelics could recover repressed memories nor consistent evidence that they do so reliably. |
| Integrating the Mystical Experience Questionnaire Into a Broader Psychometric Framework: English Validation of the Psychedelic Experience Scale and Comparison of Psilocybin and LSD Sessions Across Two Controlled Settings 2026 | confirmatory factor analysis | 280 | Unclear | The eight-factor structure of the Psychedelic Experience Scale is valid in English, with acceptable to good model fits and high internal consistency for most subscales, but this study focused on psilocybin, not LSD. |
| Fusing Specialized Surveys of Rare Populations to Larger Surveys for Generalized Inference: Cross-Sectional Survey Study. 2026 | cross-sectional survey study with data fusion | 5749 | Unclear | Data fusion of a representative anchor survey with a psychedelic-enriched survey produced generalizable estimates, showing recreational use of psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA was much more common than medical use. |
Microdosed LSD improved pain sensitivity, discomfort, and wellbeing in a mouse model of fibromyalgia in a sex- and route-dependent manner without major safety concerns.
preclinical animal study
Argues that LSD's modulation of 5-HT2A and glutamatergic systems, linked to neuroplasticity, may underlie rapid and sustained antidepressant responses observed in early clinical studies for treatment-resistant depression.
review
Several features of psycholytic therapy using LSD, including flexible approach, therapist presence, more than ten sessions, and maximal tolerated doses, were associated with positive outcomes and reduced adverse events.
realist review
Psychedelics, including LSD, show efficacy in treatment-resistant depression, PTSD, and addiction but require rigorous, ethically guided scientific validation.
review
Psychedelics, including LSD, may target symptoms of both major depressive disorder and chronic pain through shared mechanisms such as serotonergic modulation, anti-inflammatory effects, neuroplastic changes, and altered brain network dynamics.
narrative review
Argues that early hypotheses that serotonergic raphe neurons drive hallucinogenic effects were incorrect, and the conceptual framework shifted after relating neural activity to behavior.
review
The reviewed literature does not offer a coherent explanation for how psychedelics could recover repressed memories nor consistent evidence that they do so reliably.
scoping review Sample size: 53
The eight-factor structure of the Psychedelic Experience Scale is valid in English, with acceptable to good model fits and high internal consistency for most subscales, but this study focused on psilocybin, not LSD.
confirmatory factor analysis Sample size: 280
Data fusion of a representative anchor survey with a psychedelic-enriched survey produced generalizable estimates, showing recreational use of psilocybin, LSD, and MDMA was much more common than medical use.
cross-sectional survey study with data fusion Sample size: 5749
Points of agreement
- LSD shows potential therapeutic benefit for depression and chronic pain, though evidence is preliminary.
- LSD's effects are mediated through serotonergic and neuroplastic mechanisms.
- Historical psycholytic therapy with LSD was associated with positive outcomes when specific therapeutic practices were followed.
Conflicts
- The scoping review on repressed memory found no coherent evidence that psychedelics recover repressed memories, contrasting with historical claims of such effects.
- The dorsal raphe review argues that early hypotheses about LSD's mechanism were incorrect, while other reviews emphasize serotonergic modulation as key.
Gaps
- Most evidence comes from reviews or preclinical studies; clinical trials for LSD are ongoing but not yet conclusive.
- Durability of effects and long-term safety of LSD therapy are not well established.
- Studies often lack adequate blinding due to LSD's subjective effects.
- Research on LSD for comorbid depression and chronic pain is largely unexplored.
- The psychometric validation study focused on psilocybin, not LSD, limiting direct applicability.