Acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on resting brain function
This review of recent fMRI studies finds that acute LSD produces widespread alterations in functional brain connectivity — predominantly increases and most consistently heightened thalamocortical coupling — supporting models of reduced cerebral filtering of external and internal information, though results are tempered by neuroimaging limitations and potential biases.
Abstract
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent hallucinogenic substance that was extensively investigated by psychiatrists during the 1950s and 1960s. Researchers were interested in the unique effects induced by this substance, some of which resemble symptoms seen in schizophrenia. Moreover, during that period LSD was studied and used for the treatment of several mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, addiction and personality disorders. Despite this long history of research, how LSD induces its specific effects on a neuronal level has been relatively unclear. In recent years there has been a revival of research in hallucinogenic drugs and their possible clinical applications. These contemporary studies in the UK and Switzerland include neuroimaging studies using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In this review, we collect and interpret these recent neuroimaging findings. Overall, previous results across studies indicate that LSD administration is associated with extensive alterations in functional brain connectivity, measuring the correlated activities between different brain regions. The studies mostly reported increases in connectivity between regions and, more specifically, consistently found increased connectivity within the thalamocortical system. These latter observations are in agreement with models proposing that hallucinogenic drugs exert their effects by inhibiting cerebral filtering of external and internal data. However, studies also face several limitations, including potential biases of neuroimaging measurements.
Research Summary of 'Acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on resting brain function'
Introduction
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent hallucinogen that produces profound alterations in perception, emotion and cognition even at moderate doses. Historical psychiatric research in the 1950s and 1960s explored LSD both as a treatment adjunct in psychotherapy and as a pharmacological model for psychosis; research largely halted after prohibition but has seen a modern revival. A key unresolved question motivating renewed work is how LSD’s characteristic subjective effects map onto neuronal activity, particularly patterns of functional connectivity measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Felix and colleagues frame the present paper as a focused review of recent fMRI studies in healthy volunteers that examined resting-state functional connectivity following moderate LSD dosing (oral 100 µg or intravenous 75 µg). The authors restrict their scope to resting-state analyses (no task fMRI) and concentrate on measures of functional connectivity—that is, correlations of activity between brain regions—reporting and interpreting findings from three clinical trials (sample sizes reported in the extracted text ranged from 15 to 24 subjects).
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
- Study Typemeta
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- APA Citation
Müller, F., & Borgwardt, S. (2019). Acute effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on resting brain function. Swiss Medical Weekly, 149(3940), w20124. https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2019.20124
References (30)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Preller, K. H., Burt, J. B., Adkinson, B. et al. · eLife (2018)
Nichols, D. E. · Pharmacological Reviews (2016)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S., Roseman, L. et al. · PNAS (2016)
Preller, K. H., Razi, A., Zeidman, P. et al. · PNAS (2019)
Kirchner, K. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2014)
Lenz, C., Dolder, P. C., Lang, U. E. et al. · Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica (2017)
Mueller, F., Lenz, C., Dolder, P. C. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2017)
Preller, K. H., Herdener, M., Pokorny, T. et al. · Current Biology (2017)
Schmidt, A., Müller, F., Lenz, C. et al. · Psychological Medicine (2017)
Dolder, P. C., Schmid, Y., Müller, F. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2016)
Show all 30 referencesShow fewer
Tagliazucchi, E., Roseman, L., Kaelen, M. et al. · Current Biology (2016)
Müller, F., Dolder, P. C., Schmidt, A. et al. · NeuroImage (2018)
Roseman, L., Leech, R., Feilding, A. et al. · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2014)
Rickli, A., Moning, O. D., Hoener, M. C. et al. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2016)
Vollenweider, F. X., Leenders, K. L., Maguire, P. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (1997)
Bogenschutz, M. P., Forcehimes, A. A., Pommy, J. A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Johnson, M. W., Garcia-Romeu, A., Cosimano, M. P. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2014)
Nichols, C. D., Nichols, D. E., Johnson, M. W. · Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2016)
Sampedro, F., de la Fuente Revenga, M., Valle, M. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2017)
Kuypers, K. P. C. · Medical Hypotheses (2018)
Geyer, M. A., Vollenweider, F. X. · Trends in Pharmacological Sciences (2008)
Tylš, F., Páleníček, T., Horacek, J. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2013)
Johnson, M. W., Richards, W. A., Griffiths, R. R. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2008)
Fantegrossi, W. E., Murnane, K. S., Reissig, C. J. · Biochemical Pharmacology (2007)
Halpern, J. H., Pope Jr, H. G. · Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2003)
Strassman, R. J. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1984)
Hendricks, P. S., Thorne, C. B., Clark, B. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Johansen, P. Ø., Krebs, T. S. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2015)
Cohen, S. · Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease (1980)
Studerus, E., Kometer, M., Hasler, F. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2010)
Cited By (2)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Dourron, H. M., Strauss, C., Hendricks, P. S. · Pharmacological Reviews (2022)
Elman, I., Borsook, D., Pustilink, A. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2022)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.