Anxiety DisordersHealthy VolunteersMedicinal Chemistry & Drug DevelopmentLSD

Acute dose-dependent effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study in 16 healthy volunteers, LSD showed dose-proportional pharmacokinetics and produced dose-dependent subjective and autonomic effects from 25 µg, with a ceiling for positive ("good") effects at 100 µg while 200 µg increased ego dissolution, anxiety and duration of effects. Pretreatment with the 5‑HT2A antagonist ketanserin blocked the effects of 200 µg, indicating that LSD's full psychedelic effects are primarily mediated by 5‑HT2A receptor activation and informing dose selection for future research.

Authors

  • Patrick Vizeli
  • Stefan Borgwardt
  • Patrick Dolder

Published

Neuropsychopharmacology
individual Study

Abstract

Growing interest has been seen in using lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in psychiatric research and therapy. However, no modern studies have evaluated subjective and autonomic effects of different and pharmaceutically well-defined doses of LSD. We used a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover design in 16 healthy subjects (eight women, eight men) who underwent six 25 h sessions and received placebo, LSD (25, 50, 100, and 200 µg), and 200 µg LSD 1 h after administration of the serotonin 5-hydroxytryptamine-2A (5-HT 2A ) receptor antagonist ketanserin (40 mg). Test days were separated by at least 10 days. Outcome measures included self-rating scales that evaluated subjective effects, autonomic effects, adverse effects, plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, and pharmacokinetics up to 24 h. The pharmacokinetic-subjective response relationship was evaluated. LSD showed dose-proportional pharmacokinetics and first-order elimination and dose-dependently induced subjective responses starting at the 25 µg dose. A ceiling effect was observed for good drug effects at 100 µg. The 200 µg dose of LSD induced greater ego dissolution than the 100 µg dose and induced significant anxiety. The average duration of subjective effects increased from 6.7 to 11 h with increasing doses of 25–200 µg. LSD moderately increased blood pressure and heart rate. Ketanserin effectively prevented the response to 200 µg LSD. The LSD dose–response curve showed a ceiling effect for subjective good effects, and ego dissolution and anxiety increased further at a dose above 100 µg. These results may assist with dose finding for future LSD research. The full psychedelic effects of LSD are primarily mediated by serotonin 5-HT 2A receptor activation.

Available with Blossom Pro

Research Summary of 'Acute dose-dependent effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects'

Introduction

Holze and colleagues situate LSD as a classical serotonergic psychedelic that produces complex alterations of consciousness primarily via serotonin 5-HT2A receptor stimulation. Renewed clinical and research interest in LSD has not been matched by modern within-subject data comparing multiple, pharmaceutically well-characterised acute doses in the same participants. The authors note gaps in dose–response knowledge, the need to document plasma exposure (pharmacokinetics, PK) alongside subjective effects, and interest in potential biomarkers of neuroplasticity such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The study therefore set out to characterise acute subjective, autonomic and biomarker (plasma BDNF) responses to a range of LSD base doses (25, 50, 100 and 200 µg) in healthy volunteers, to define PK-PD relationships, and to test the role of 5-HT2A receptors by administering ketanserin (40 mg) prior to a 200 µg LSD dose. The investigators hypothesised dose-dependent effects that would be blocked by ketanserin and aimed to provide dose-finding data relevant to future research and therapeutic applications.

Expert Research Summaries

Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.

Full Text PDF

Full Paper PDF

Create a free account to open full-text PDFs.

Study Details

References (33)

Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom

The pharmacology of lysergic acid diethylamide: a review

Passie, T., Halpern, J. H., Stichtenoth, D. O. et al. · CNS Neuroscience and Therapeutics (2008)

Dark Classics in Chemical Neuroscience: Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)

Nichols, D. E. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2018)

The fabric of meaning and subjective effects in LSD-induced states depend on serotonin 2A receptor activation

Preller, K. H., Herdener, M., Pokorny, T. et al. · Current Biology (2017)

Dreamlike effects of LSD on waking imagery in humans depend on serotonin 2A receptor activation

Kraehenmann, R. ;., Pokorny, D. ;., Vollenweider, L. ;. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2017)

138 cited
Modern clinical research on LSD

Liechti, M. E. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)

Psychedelics as Medicines: An Emerging New Paradigm

Nichols, C. D., Nichols, D. E., Johnson, M. W. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2016)

The therapeutic potential of psychedelic drugs: past, present, and future

Carhart-Harris, R. L., Goodwin, G. M. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)

Acute Subjective and Behavioral Effects of Microdoses of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in Healthy Human Volunteers

Bershad, A. K., Schepers, S. T., Bremmer, M. P. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2019)

The paradoxical psychological effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD)

Carhart-Harris, R. L., Kaelen, M., Bolstridge, M. et al. · Psychological Medicine (2016)

253 cited
LSD acutely impairs fear recognition and enhances emotional empathy and sociality

Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Müller, F. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2016)

Show all 33 references
Acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects

Schmid, Y., Enzler, F., Gasser, P. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2015)

Distinct acute effects of LSD, MDMA, and D-amphetamine in healthy subjects.

Holze, F., Vizeli, P., Müller, F. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2019)

214 cited
Psychedelics promote structural and functional neural plasticity

Ly, C., Greb, A. C., Cameron, L. P. et al. · Cell Reports (2018)

Quality of acute psychedelic experience predicts therapeutic efficacy of psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression

Roseman, L., Nutt, D. J., Carhart-Harris, R. L. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2018)

Psilocybin-occasioned mystical experiences in the treatment of tobacco addiction

Garcia-Romeu, A., Griffiths, R. R., Johnson, M. W. · Current Drug Abuse Reviews (2015)

Pharmacokinetics and subjective effects of a novel oral LSD formulation in healthy subjects

Holze, F., Duthaler, U., Vizeli, P. et al. · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2019)

The effects of microdose LSD on time perception: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Yanakieva, S., Polychroni, N., Family, N. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2018)

Psychometric evaluation of the altered states of consciousness rating scale (OAV)

Studerus, E., Gamma, A., Vollenweider, F. X. · PLOS ONE (2010)

Validation of the revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire in experimental sessions with psilocybin

Barrett, F. S., Johnson, M. W., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)

Effects of a β-blocker on the cardiovascular response to MDMA (Ecstasy)

Hysek, C. M., Vollenweider, F. X., Liechti, M. E. · BMJ Open (2010)

47 cited
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects

Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Steuer, A. E. et al. · Clinical Pharmacokinetics (2017)

Pharmacokinetics and concentration-effect relationship of oral LSD in humans

Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Haschke, M. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2015)

97 cited
Prediction of psilocybin response in healthy volunteers

Studerus, E., Gamma, A., Kometer, M. et al. · PLOS ONE (2012)

Safety and efficacy of lysergic acid diethylamide-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases

Gasser, P., Holstein, D., Michel, Y. et al. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (2014)

594 cited
Safety pharmacology of acute MDMA administration in healthy subjects

Vizeli, P., Liechti, M. E. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2017)

Serotonin 2A receptor signaling underlies LSD-induced alteration of the neural response to dynamic changes in music

Barrett, F. S., Preller, K. H., Herdener, M. et al. · Cerebral Cortex (2017)

Modulation of Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor by a Single Dose of Ayahuasca: Observation From a Randomized Controlled Trial

Galvão-Coelho, N. L., de Almeida, R. N., de Menezes Galvão, A. C. et al. · Frontiers in Psychology (2019)

Microdosing psychedelics: More questions than answers? An overview and suggestions for future research

Kuypers, K. P. C., Erritzoe, D., Knudsen, G. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)

Might Microdosing Psychedelics Be Safe and Beneficial? An Initial Exploration

Fadiman, J., Korb, S. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2019)

Motives and side-effects of microdosing with psychedelics among users

Hutten, N. P. W., Mason, N. L., Dolder, P. C. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2019)

Preliminary report on the effects of a low dose of LSD on resting-state amygdala functional connectivity

Bershad, A. K., Preller, K. H., Lee, R. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2020)

88 cited

Cited By (74)

Papers in Blossom that reference this study

Trip killers: Addressing a critical knowledge gap in psychedelic research

O’Mahony, B., Harrington, C., Harkin, A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2026)

Psychedelics are associated with changes in spiritual beliefs and orientations in US veterans

Brown, R. E., Shinozuka, K., Kaloiani, I. et al. · Research Square (2026)

Psychedelic medicine: mechanisms, evidence, and translation to practice

Jacobs, E., Zahid, Z., Hinkle, J. et al. · BMJ (2026)

Participant Experiences of Microdosed Lysergic Acid Diethylamide in a 6-Week Randomised Controlled Trial

Murphy, R. J., Wardlaw, M., Smith, T. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2025)

The psychoplastogen tabernanthalog induces neuroplasticity without proximate immediate early gene activation

Aarrestad, I. K., Cameron, L. P., Fenton, E. M. et al. · Nature Neuroscience (2025)

Show all 74 papers
Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Urinary Recovery of Oral Mescaline Hydrochloride in Healthy Participants

Mueller, L., Klaiber, A., Ley, L. et al. · Clinical Pharmacokinetics (2025)

Molecular, haemodynamic, and functional effects of LSD in the human brain

McCulloch, D. E-W., Larsen, K., Johansen, A. et al. · MedRvix (2025)

Safety and Efficacy of Repeated Low-Dose LSD for ADHD Treatment in Adults A Randomized Clinical Trial

Mueller, L., de Jesus, N. M. S., Schmid, Y. et al. · JAMA Psychiatry (2025)

Absolute Oral Bioavailability and Bioequivalence of LSD Base and Tartrate in a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Study

Arikci, D., Holze, F., Mueller, L. et al. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2025)

1 cited
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of sublingual microdosed lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy adult volunteers

Morse, D. J., Jeong, S. H., Murphy, R. J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2025)

Safety pharmacology of acute mescaline administration in healthy participants

Klaiber, A., Humbert‐Droz, M., Ley, L. et al. · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2024)

4 cited
Acute dose-dependent effects of mescaline in a double-blind placebo-controlled study in healthy subjects

Klaiber, A., Schmid, Y., Becker, A. M. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)

13 cited
Naturalistic psychedelic therapy: The role of relaxation and subjective drug effects in antidepressant response

Calder, A. E., Rausch, B., Liechti, M. E. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2024)

Pharmacological and non-pharmacological predictors of the LSD experience in healthy participants

Vizeli, P., Studerus, E., Holze, F. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)

Safety pharmacology of acute psilocybin administration in healthy participants

Straumann, I., Holze, F., Becker, A. M. et al. · Neuroscience Applied (2024)

15 cited
Greater subjective effects of a low dose of LSD in participants with depressed mood

Molla, H. M., Lee, R., Tare, I. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)

30 cited
Drug-drug interactions involving classic psychedelics: A systematic review

Halman, A., Kong, G., Sarris, J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)

40 cited
Nature-themed video intervention may improve cardiovascular safety of psilocybin-assisted therapy for alcohol use disorder

Heinzerling, K. G., Sergi, K., Linton, M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2023)

Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and urinary recovery of oral lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) administration in healthy participants

Friederike, H., Liechti, M. E., Holze, F. et al. · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2023)

Three Cases of Reported Improvement in Microsmia and Anosmia Following Naturalistic Use of Psilocybin and LSD

Kovacevich, A., Weleff, J., Claytor, B. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2023)

5 cited
27 cited
Acute effects of intravenous DMT in a randomized placebo-controlled study in healthy participants

Vogt, S. B., Ley, L., Erne, L. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2023)

64 cited
Dosing and Therapeutic Conduct in Administration Sessions in Substance-Assisted Psychotherapy: A Systematized Review

Thal, S. B., Wieberneit, M., Sharbanee, J. M. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2023)

4 cited
A non-hallucinogenic LSD analog with therapeutic potential for mood disorders

Lewis, V., Bonniwell, E. M., Lanham, J. K. et al. · Cell Reports (2023)

102 cited
Classic psychedelics do not affect T cell and monocyte immune responses

Rudin, D., Areesanan, A., Liechti, M. E. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2023)

5-HT2ARs Mediate Therapeutic Behavioral Effects of Psychedelic Tryptamines

Cameron, L. P., Patel, S. D., Vargas, M. V. et al. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2023)

86 cited
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of oral psilocybin administration in healthy participants

Holze, F., Becker, A. M., Kolaczynska, K. E. et al. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2022)

Altered States of Consciousness During Ceremonial San Pedro Use

Bohn, A., Kiggen, M. H. H., Uthaug, M. V. et al. · International Journal for the Psychology of Religion (2022)

The Altered States Database: Psychometric data from a systematic literature review

Prugger, J., Derdiyok, E., Dinkelacker, J. et al. · Scientific Data (2022)

Ketanserin reverses the acute response to LSD in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study in healthy subjects

Becker, A. M., Klaiber, A., Holze, F. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)

73 cited
Scoping Review of Experiential Measures from Psychedelic Research and Clinical Trials

Herrmann, Z., Earleywine, M., De Leo, J. et al. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2022)

Towards an understanding of psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity

Calder, A. E., Hasler, G. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)

Association between Lifetime Classic Psychedelic Use and Sick Leave in a Population-Based Sample

Mellner, C., Dahlen, M., Simonsson, O. · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2022)

Neural Mechanisms and Psychology of Psychedelic Ego Dissolution

Stoliker, D., Egan, G. F., Friston, K. J. et al. · Pharmacological Reviews (2022)

Pharmacological, Neural, and Psychological Mechanisms underlying Psychedelics: A Critical Review

van Elk, M., Yaden, D. B. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2022)

LSD, afterglow and hangover: Increased episodic memory and verbal fluency, decreased cognitive flexibility

Wießner, I., Olivieri, R., Falchi, M. et al. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)

Psychedelic Cognition-The Unreached Frontier of Psychedelic Science

Balaet, M. · Frontiers in Neuroscience (2022)

Psilocybin-Induced Mystical-Type Experiences are Related to Persisting Positive Effects: A Quantitative and Qualitative Report

McCulloch, D. E-W., Madsen, M. K., Jensen, P. S. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)

79 cited
Repeated low doses of LSD in healthy adults: A placebo-controlled, dose-response study

de Wit, H., Molla, H. M., Bershad, A. K. et al. · Addiction Biology (2022)

Evaluating the Potential Use of Serotonergic Psychedelics in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Markopoulos, A., Inserra, A., De Gregorio, D. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2022)

30 cited
Classic Psychedelic Drugs: Update on Biological Mechanisms

Vollenweider, F. X., Smallridge, J. W. · Pharmacopsychiatry (2022)

71 cited
Human behavioral pharmacology of psychedelics

Strickland, J. C., Johnson, M. W. · Advances in Pharmacology (2022)

5 cited
Psychedelic Therapy's Transdiagnostic Effects: A Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) Perspective

Dursun, S. M., Kelly, J. R., Gillan, C. M. et al. · Frontiers in Psychiatry (2021)

Psychedelic-Inspired Approaches for Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders

Olson, D. E. · Journal of Neurochemistry (2021)

LSD, madness and healing: Mystical experiences as possible link between psychosis model and therapy model

Wießner, I., Falchi, M., Palhano-Fontes, F. et al. · Psychological Medicine (2021)

Role of the 5-HT2A receptor in acute effects of LSD on empathy and circulating oxytocin

Holze, F., Avedisian, I., Varghese, N. et al. · Frontiers in Pharmacology (2021)

Catalysts for change: the cellular neurobiology of psychedelics

Bement, W., Banks, M. I., Zahid, Z. et al. · Molecular Biology of the Cell (2021)

31 cited
Genetic influence of CYP2D6 on pharmacokinetics and acute subjective effects of LSD in a pooled analysis

Vizeli, P., Straumann, I., Holze, F. et al. · Scientific Reports (2021)

40 cited
Association Between Lifetime Classic Psychedelic Use and Hypertension in the Past Year

Simonsson, O., Hendricks, P. S., Carhart-Harris, R. et al. · Hypertension (2021)

28 cited
Blinding and Expectancy Confounds in Psychedelic Randomised Controlled Trials

Muthukumaraswamy, S., Forsyth, B., Lumley, T. · Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (2021)

Predicting Reactions to Psychedelic Drugs: A Systematic Review of States and Traits Related to Acute Drug Effects

Aday, J. S., Davis, A. K., Mitzkovitz, C. M. et al. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2021)

Investigation of the Structure-Activity Relationships of Psilocybin Analogues

Klein, A. K., Chatha, M., Laskowski, L. J. et al. · ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science (2020)

Acute effects of psilocybin on glutamate concentration levels, functional connectivity and subjective state

Mason, N. L., Feilding, A., Ramaekers, J. G. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2020)

Your Personal Research Library

Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.

Acute dose-dependent effects of lysergic acid... — Research Summary & Context | Blossom