LSD acutely impairs fear recognition and enhances emotional empathy and sociality
August 24, 2016 DOI: 10.26226/morressier.5785edc6d462b80296c9935b (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Placebo-controlled, double-blind, random-order, crossover study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 40 |
| Population | Healthy, mostly hallucinogen-naive 25- to 65-year-old volunteers (20 men, 20 women) |
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Dose | 100 μg LSD in 24 subjects and 200 μg LSD in 16 subjects |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Sociality Empathy Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key points | LSD enhances emotional empathy and prosocial behavior while impairing recognition of negative emotions, suggesting potential utility in psychotherapy. |
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is used recreationally and has been evaluated as an adjunct to psychotherapy to treat anxiety in patients with life-threatening illness.LSD is well-known to induce perceptual alterations, but unknown is whether LSD alters emotional processing in ways that can support psychotherapy.We investigated the acute effects of LSD on emotional processing using the Face Emotion Recognition Task (FERT) and Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET).The effects of LSD on social behavior were tested using the Social Value Orientation (SVO) test.Two similar placebo-controlled, double-blind, random-order, crossover studies were conducted using 100 μg LSD in 24 subjects and 200 μg LSD in 16 subjects.All of the subjects were healthy and mostly hallucinogen-naive 25-to 65-year-old volunteers (20 men, 20 women).LSD produced feelings of happiness, trust, closeness to others, enhanced explicit and implicit emotional empathy on the MET, and impaired the recognition of sad and fearful faces on the FERT.LSD enhanced the participants' desire to be with other people and increased their prosocial behavior on the SVO test.These effects of LSD on emotion processing and sociality may be useful for LSD-assisted psychotherapy.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety and Efficacy of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-Assisted Psychotherapy for Anxiety Associated With Life-threatening Diseases Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases | 2014 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 12 |
| Dose-Response Study of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine in Humans Experienced hallucinogen users | 1994 | Double-blind, saline placebo-controlled, randomized study | n = 12 |
| Acute Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Subjects Healthy subjects (8 women, 8 men) | 2014 | Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study | n = 16 |
| Changes in global and thalamic brain connectivity in LSD-induced altered states of consciousness are attributable to the 5-HT2A receptor Healthy human participants | 2018 | Double-blind, randomized, counterbalanced, cross-over study | n = 24 |
| LSD-induced entropic brain activity predicts subsequent personality change. Healthy adults | 2016 | Balanced-order, placebo-controlled study | n = 19 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 6
- Predictors Of Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder Symptoms, Delusional Ideation And Magical Thinking Following Naturalistic Psychedelic Use November 15, 2022
- The relation between naturalistic use of psychedelics and perception of emotional stimuli: An ERP study comparing non-users and experienced users of classic psychedelics October 9, 2023
- The use of psychoactive substances in the treatment of mental disorders Alcoholism and Drug Addiction August 31, 2022
- Avaliação das possíveis interações entre o canabidiol e a ayahuasca em voluntários saudáveis: um estudo randomizado, duplo-cego e controlado com placebo November 27, 2020
- Efeitos agudos e subagudos de dose única de Ayahuasca no reconhecimento de expressões faciais May 4, 2020
and 1 more in the library
Cites 28
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- Pilot Study of Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety in Patients With Advanced-Stage Cancer Archives of General Psychiatry September 7, 2010
- Psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol dependence: A proof-of-concept study Journal of Psychopharmacology January 13, 2015
- Psilocybin induces schizophrenia-like psychosis in humans via a serotonin-2 agonist action Neuroreport December 1, 1998
- Psilocybin occasioned mystical-type experiences: immediate and persisting dose-related effects. Psychopharmacology December 1, 2011
and 23 more in the library