LSD and chromosomes. A controlled experiment
JAMA November 3, 1969 DOI: 10.1001/jama.210.5.849 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Controlled trial with before-and-after measures Double-blind Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Patients in LSD psychotherapy research and black-market LSD users |
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Double blind study Statistical analysis Significant difference Genetic neurodegenerative diseases |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | No significant difference in chromosomal aberration rates before and after LSD, indicating no definite evidence that pure LSD damages chromosomes of human lymphocytes in vivo. |
Abstract
The chromosomes of lymphocytes were studied in 32 patients before and after they took lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as part of double-blind, controlled research of the effects of the drug in psychotherapy and in five black-market LSD users who volunteered to take pure LSD in a research setting. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the before- and after-LSD chromosomal aberration rates. In addition, a post-LSD study of eight normal subjects who had received LSD in previous research experiments was also performed with the same cytogenetic methods. The results of these experiments consistently supported the conclusion that at this time there is no definite evidence that pure LSD damages chromosomes of human lymphocytes in vivo as studied from 72-hour cultures.
Comparable studies
Other non-randomized and open-label trials on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The paradoxical psychological effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) Healthy volunteers | 2016 | Within-subjects controlled trial | n = 20 |
| Study of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide as an Analgesic Agent Hospital patients | 1964 | Clinical trial | n = 50 |
| Localization of serotonin 5‐HT2 receptors in living human brain by positron emission tomography using N1‐([11C]‐methyl)‐2‐BR‐LSD Normal human volunteers | 1987 | Clinical trial | n = 7 |
| Psychedelic Therapy Utilizing LSD in the Treatment of the Alcoholic Patient: A Preliminary Report Alcoholic patients | 1967 | Pilot study | n = 69 |
| LSD-induced hallucinogen persisting perception disorder treatment with clonidine: an open pilot study Patients with LSD-induced hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD) | 2000 | Open-label pilot study | n = 8 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- Treatment of alcoholism using psychedelic drugs: a review of the program of research. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 1998
- Does LSD induce chromosomal damage and malformations? A review of the literature Teratology August 1, 1972
- Psychedelic Experiential Pharmacology: Pioneering Clinical Explorations with Salvador Roquet (How I Came to All of This: Ketamine, Admixtures and Adjuvants, Don Juan and Carlos Castaneda Too): An Interview with Richard Yensen International Journal of Transpersonal Studies July 1, 2014
- Is psychedelic use associated with cancer?: Interrogating a half-century-old claim using contemporary population-level data Journal of Psychopharmacology August 16, 2022
- Regulation of human research with LSD in the United States (1949-1987). Psychopharmacology February 2018