Lysergic Acid Diethylamide extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans
Beatriz de S. Carrilho, Aline Duarte, Isabelle Martins, Ariane Moura, Manuela Vilas, Matheus Antonio V. de C. Ventura, Francisco Moll, Hugo Aguilaniu, Ivan Domith, Stevens K. Rehen
bioRxiv Preprint Server June 16, 2025 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2025.06.16.659936 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study |
|---|---|
| Population | Caenorhabditis elegans |
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Topics | LSD |
| Key findings | LSD treatment significantly extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans and reduces age-associated lipofuscin accumulation. |
Abstract
Aging is modulated by nutrient-sensing pathways that integrate metabolic and hormonal cues to regulate growth, stress resilience, and lifespan. Caloric restriction (CR), a well-established intervention, extends longevity in diverse species through modulation of conserved nutrient-sensing pathways, including TOR signaling. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a classic serotonergic psychedelic with emerging therapeutic applications, remains largely unexplored in the context of aging. Here, we show that LSD treatment significantly extends lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans and reduces age-associated lipofuscin accumulation, suggesting delayed age-associated decline. LSD induces several phenotypes that overlap with those observed in some caloric restriction paradigms, including reduced reproductive output, decreased body size, and the absence of an additive effect in lifespan assay performed in dietary restriction model, without apparent decreasing in food intake. In addition, LSD treatment modulates lipid stores and other cellular readouts associated with nutrient-sensing physiology. Together, these findings suggest that LSD engages evolutionarily conserved pathways linked to longevity and identify this compound as a tool to investigate serotonergic control of aging biology.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Human participants | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Crystal structure of an LSD-bound human serotonin receptor | 2017 | Experimental study with structural biology and molecular dynamics simulations | |
| Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Sensitive Neuronal Units in the Midbrain Raphe Midbrain neurons containing serotonin | 1968 | Experimental study | |
| Connectome-harmonic decomposition of human brain activity reveals dynamical repertoire re-organization under LSD. Human brain | 2017 | Experimental study | |
| LSD-Assisted Psychotherapy in Patients with Terminal Cancer Cancer patients | 1973 | Experimental study | n = 60 |
Citations in the library
Cites 8
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Psychedelics and Neuroplasticity: A Systematic Review Unraveling the Biological Underpinnings of Psychedelics Frontiers in Psychiatry September 10, 2021
- Psychedelic-inspired approaches for treating neurodegenerative disorders. Journal of Neurochemistry July 1, 2022
- Associations between lifetime classic psychedelic use and cardiometabolic diseases Scientific Reports July 13, 2021
- Effects of repeated lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the mouse brain endocannabinoidome and gut microbiome. British Journal of Pharmacology March 1, 2023
and 3 more in the library