Letter in reply to Robison R, Barrow R, Conant C, et al. Single Treatment With MM120 (Lysergide) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2025;doi:10.1001/jama.2025.13481 (unpublished, rejected by the journal)
Abstract Psychedelics profoundly alter conscious experience, yet how they reshape the relationship between brain anatomy and function remains unclear. In particular, it is unknown whether psychedelic states reflect a global disruption of structure–function organization or a frequency– and network-specific reconfiguration of neural dynamics relative to the structural connectome. Here we address...
Objective: While data on perceived availability of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) [paLSD] are collected annually in the United States, detailed investigations of recent trends in paLSD have not been published. Therefore, we sought to explore this topic. Method: Data were sourced from the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) administrations. To identify factors associated...
There has been great interest in the use of very low doses of psychedelic drugs like lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) to improve mood and cognition. However, controlled studies have thus far provided little support for their efficacy. One challenge is that the subjective effects are subtle and on the threshold of detectability, whereas the questionnaires used to assess the drugs' effects were...
Meaning is a primary existential concern in those with advanced illnesses and functions as an important coping mechanism. Loss of meaning contributes to existential distress, and, in particular, may manifest as demoralization, a syndrome of poor coping that is associated with negative outcomes. Psychedelics are unique psychoactive compounds that, among other properties, are proposed to enhance...
While interest in the therapeutic and recreational use of hallucinogens has increased, national surveillance often reports use in aggregate, potentially masking shifting trends among pharmacologically distinct substances. This study assessed trends in specific hallucinogens from 2021 to 2023 and identified correlates of use, with particular attention to subgroup patterns in populations commonly...
In Canada, the use of both prescription medications and psychedelics has become increasingly prevalent. As of 2022, approximately 16.5% of Canadians—about 6.3 million individuals—were prescribed at least one antidepressant, with fluoxetine remaining one of the most commonly used options (IQVIA, 2023). Benzodiazepine use, including drugs like alprazolam, ranges between 5% to 10% nationwide, with...
Recently, many lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) analogs have emerged as designer drugs worldwide. In Japan, these compounds are distributed as paper sheet or tablet products and are available online. Even after these compounds were regulated, new compounds with modified structures continued to appear. In the present study, two LSD analogs were identified from tablet or paper sheet products. Gas...
Results suggest short-term improvements in mood following microdosed LSD in people with depression, warranting confirmation in controlled trials. It provides the pharmacokinetic parameters of 8 μg of LSD in a sample of people with depression and indicates no tolerance or sensitisation to repeated microdoses of LSD, despite incremental dose titration.
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) analogs represent an emerging class of new psychoactive substances (NPS). These compounds are often rapidly metabolized, making direct detection of the parent compound in biological samples difficult. Therefore, metabolite detection serves as a critical and effective strategy for the confirmation of consumption. However, the metabolic pathways of these analogs...
We carried out a systematic review of modern-era (1990-2025) placebo-controlled studies assessing the acute and post-acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide, dimethyltryptamine and psilocybin on cognitive and psychological functions. From February 28 to March 19, 2025, PubMed and APA PsychINFO were systematically searched for placebo-controlled studies examining the influence of...
Background The relationship between media portrayal of psychedelic drugs, scientific research and drug policy is an area of debate. Aims To apply artificial intelligence technology to measure trends in media sentiment towards the therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs. Method Up to 300 of the most relevant articles from Google News searches for the term ‘psychedelics’ were sampled for each...
The importance of drugs as a theme in the second half of Elsa Morante’s work is rarely emphasized. Beginning with the author’s existential and political turn in the 1960s, a decade that saw her experiment with a series of sedatives and psychedelics, drugs and addiction become omnipresent in the lives of some of the key characters in her novels and short stories. This article focuses on the...
Serotonergic psychedelics, such as lysergic acid diethylamide, and psilocybin, and the entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine exhibit agonist activity at the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2B receptor, a signalling pathway known to mechanistically mediate drug-induced valvular heart disease. This systematic review evaluates whether chronic or repeated use of psychedelics and...
Background: As public and scientific interest in psychedelics grows, unsupervised use for health purposes is increasing. In the U.S., past-year hallucinogen use nearly doubled from 2015 to 2023. Many individuals report self-treating physical or psychological symptoms without medical supervision using psychedelics—a practice termed self-medication. Despite this trend, review-level syntheses...
LSD is a psychedelic drug known for its ability to alter perception and psychological functioning by acting on the serotonin 2A receptor. Historically, LSD and other psychedelics were used in psychiatry, and there is currently a resurgence of interest in their therapeutic potential. Recent studies suggest that psychedelic therapy, often involving the patient lying down with closed eyes and...
Classic serotonergic psychedelics such as LSD and psilocybin show promising antidepressant effects in controlled trials, but real-world data from routine clinical care remain limited. This study retrospectively analysed routine data from adults with treatment-resistant depressive and/or anxiety disorders who received a first standardized Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy (PAP) cycle with 100...
Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) profoundly alters conscious experience, yet the electrophysiological mechanisms by which it reshapes neural dynamics remain incompletely understood. A hallmark of psychedelic states is widespread cortical desynchronization, typically inferred from reductions in spectral power, but whether such effects reflect genuine weakening of neural oscillations or...
The escalating global burden of mental health disorders, coupled with the stagnation of innovation in traditional monoaminergic pharmacotherapy (e.g., SSRIs), has precipitated a critical need for novel therapeutic paradigms. This article presents a comprehensive systematic review of the so-called "Psychedelic Renaissance," focusing on the clinical resurgence of classical serotonergic...
Shelter environments frequently expose dogs to chronic stress and anxiety, which can compromise their welfare and reduce their chances of adoption. Recent interest in psychedelic-assisted approaches has suggested potential therapeutic applications in veterinary behavioral medicine, although empirical evidence remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the combined effects of low-dose...