Psychopharmacology
February 1, 2025
Robin J Murphy, Rachael Sumner, Kate Godfrey et al.
9 citations
Enhanced creativity is often cited as an effect of microdosing (taking repeated low doses of a psychedelic drug). There have been recent efforts to validate the reported effects of microdosing, however creativity remains a difficult construct to quantify. The current study aimed to assess microdosing's effects on creativity using a multimodal battery of tests as part of a randomised controlled...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2025
Peter Gasser, Matthias E. Liechti, Friederike Holze
2 citations
A 64-year-old male patient who suffered from traumatic life experiences and neuropathic pain after oncological chemotherapy was treated with medium to high doses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and high doses and microdoses of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). At the beginning of treatment, the patient did not experience any acute subjective effects of LSD at a dose of 200 µg. After...
Trials
August 24, 2024
Dimitri Daldegan-Bueno, Carina Joy Donegan, Anna Forsyth et al.
14 citations
Major depressive disorder (MDD) poses a significant global health burden with available treatments limited by inconsistent efficacy and notable side effects. Classic psychedelics, including lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), have garnered attention for their potential in treating psychiatric disorders. Microdosing, the repeated consumption of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelics, has emerged...
Translational Psychiatry
July 15, 2024
Nadia R. P. W. Hutten, Conny W E M Quaedflieg, Natasha L. Mason et al.
16 citations
The repeated use of small doses of psychedelics (also referred to as "microdosing") to facilitate benefits in mental health, cognition, and mood is a trending practice. Placebo-controlled studies however have largely failed to demonstrate strong benefits, possibly because of large inter-individual response variability. The current study tested the hypothesis that effects of low doses of LSD on...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
June 14, 2024
Vince Polito, Paul Liknaitzky
16 citations
Some recent research and commentary have suggested that most or all the effects reported by people who microdose psychedelics may be explained by expectations or placebo effects. In this rapid review, we aimed to evaluate the strength of evidence for a placebo explanation of the reported effects of microdosing. We conducted a PubMed search for all studies investigating psychedelic microdosing...
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging
May 1, 2024
Robin J Murphy, Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Harriet de Wit
31 citations
Taking regular low doses of psychedelic drugs (microdosing) is a practice that has drawn recent scientific and media attention for its potential psychotherapeutic effects. Yet, controlled studies evaluating this practice have lagged. Here, we review recent evidence focusing on studies that were conducted with rigorous experimental control. Studies conducted under laboratory settings using...
Translational Psychiatry
April 15, 2024
Nathan Allen, Aron Jeremiah, Robin J Murphy et al.
15 citations
Microdosing psychedelic drugs at a level below the threshold to induce hallucinations is an increasingly common lifestyle practice. However, the effects of microdosing on sleep have not been previously reported. Here, we report results from a Phase 1 randomized controlled trial in which 80 healthy adult male volunteers received a 6-week course of either LSD (10 µg) or placebo with doses...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 1, 2024
Hanna Molla, Royce Lee, Ilaria Tare et al.
37 citations
Recent studies and anecdotal reports suggest that psychedelics can improve mood states, even at low doses. However, few placebo-controlled studies have examined the acute effects of low doses of LSD in individuals with psychiatric symptoms. In the current study, we examined the acute and sub-acute effect of a low dose of LSD (26 µg) on subjective effects and mood in volunteers with mild...
Scientific Reports
February 22, 2024
Ethan V Hagen, Melike Schalomon, Yanbo Zhang et al.
11 citations
The therapeutic use of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) has resurfaced in the last decade, prompting further scientific investigation into its effectiveness in many animal models. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are a popular model organism in medical sciences and are used to examine the repeated administration of pharmacological compounds. Previous zebrafish research found acute LSD altered behaviour...
Pilot and Feasibility Studies
February 12, 2024
Alesha Wells, A P Suresh Muthukumaraswamy, Eva Morunga et al.
10 citations
An advanced cancer diagnosis can be associated with a significant profile of distress. Psychedelic compounds have shown clinically significant effects in the treatment of psychological distress in patients with advanced-stage cancer. Given the challenges of delivering timely and effective intervention in the advanced cancer context, it is possible that an alternative, more pragmatic, approach...