In recent years small amounts of the drug have shown promise for its ability to reprogram the brain to be faster, happier, and more resilient.
A recent study led by researchers from the University of Chicago in the US suggests we have a reason to be cautious in how we interpret the growing pile of evidence that seems to support microdosing of this popular recreational drug.
A study of 56 adult volunteers shows that although safe, repeated low doses of LSD aren't likely to improve our mood or thinking.
Drugs are already being used out in the world, and it is important for us to test them under controlled conditions to ensure their safety and to see if there is any validity to the benefits people claim.
That has been missing from the conversation.
lysergic acid diethylamide or lysergic acid is better known for its hallucinogenic qualities since it was accidentally synthesized in the 1930s.
Today, it is more commonly regarded as an illegal party drug, appreciated for its mind- altering, euphoria inducing effects, with little thought spared for its role in medicine.
Researchers and amateur enthusiasts alike are exploring the consequences of taking relatively small amounts of the compound.
Proponents of microdosing argue trace levels of the pharmaceutical can be used to treat depression and improve cognitive abilities.
It is not an unmerited idea. Since it interacts with the brain's serotonergic systems as a direct agonist, it's a small leap to think that it might cause beneficial changes in neurology related to moods and memory.
Positive results from studies on both animal and human subjects have encouraged further research into what could be a wonder drug for treating mood disorders that resist other forms of therapy.
Few studies have examined the effects of repeated low doses of the hallucinogen. The door is open for the possibility that it is all a reflection of the mind, as those that have 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0 888-492-0
de Wit and her team randomly assigned volunteers to receive a solution containing either no LSD, or small doses of 13 or 26 micrograms, which they would use to weigh in on the debate over the placebo effect.
Most people experience an effect from the drug once it reaches 100 micrograms. Less than a quarter of the concentration is enough to make a dose less likely to produce obvious sensations of pleasure or change perception.
The people in all three groups were given their dose every three to four days and then sat in a comfortable room to read or watch movies.
None of them knew what kind of drug was being tested, making it hard for them to anticipate a reaction.
We removed any expectations that this was a drug of the mind.
In the real world, people's expectations can influence their responses.
After an hour following their test treatment, subjects fill out a mood questionnaire and have their pulse measured. They did a cognitive performance task to check their memory.
Less than half of the participants correctly reported what drug they thought they had received. The hallucinogen's mind-altering effects were studied in four sessions and the results varied widely.
There was no evidence of changes to mood, emotion or cognitive function.
De Wit says that they can't say that microdosing doesn't work.
We didn't see a robust effect with this kind of participant, under these controlled circumstances.
The question of whether small amounts of psychotropic substances like LSD might still improve moods under specific circumstances is still open because science doesn't turn on single studies.
Researchers would be amiss if they did not explore all the possibilities of microdosing.
The research was published in a journal.
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