Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging
Peter J. Hellyer, Luke T. J. Williams, Ben Sessa, Mark Bolstridge, Mendel Kaelen, Robin Carhart-Harris, Enzo Tagliazucchi, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Helen Valerie Curran, Richard G. Wise, Robert Leech, Krish D. Singh, Martin I. Sereno, Timothy Nest, Peter Hobden, John Evans, John Mcgonigle, Amanda Feilding, Wouter Droog, Leor Roseman, David Nutt, Kevin Murphy, Tim M Williams, Csaba Orbán, Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, David E. Nichols
UNC Libraries April 22, 2020 DOI: 10.17615/et5z-st50 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Dose | microgram doses |
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Neuroimaging Cognitive psychology Cognition |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | LSD produced marked changes in brain blood flow, electrical activity, and network communication patterns that correlated strongly with its hallucinatory and consciousness-altering properties. |
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the prototypical “psychedelic,” may be unique among psychoactive substances. In the decades that followed its discovery, the magnitude of its effect on science, the arts, and society was unprecedented. LSD produces profound, sometimes life-changing experiences in microgram doses, making it a particularly powerful scientific tool. Here we sought to examine its effects on brain activity, using cutting-edge and complementary neuroimaging techniques in the first modern neuroimaging study of LSD. Results revealed marked changes in brain blood flow, electrical activity, and network communication patterns that correlated strongly with the drug’s hallucinatory and other consciousness-altering properties. These results have implications for the neurobiology of consciousness and for potential applications of LSD in psychological research.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Increased Global Functional Connectivity Correlates with LSD-Induced Ego Dissolution. Human participants | 2016 | Observational cohort | |
| Increased spontaneous MEG signal diversity for psychoactive doses of ketamine, LSD and psilocybin Humans | 2017 | Observational study | |
| Classic psychedelic use is associated with reduced psychological distress and suicidality in the United States adult population. USA adult respondents from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2008-2012) | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 190,000 |
| Psychedelics not linked to mental health problems or suicidal behavior: A population study Randomly selected United States adults | 2015 | Observational cohort | n = 135,095 |
| Whole-Brain Multimodal Neuroimaging Model Using Serotonin Receptor Maps Explains Non-linear Functional Effects of LSD. Healthy human participants | 2018 | Observational study with computational modeling |