Low doses of LSD reduce broadband oscillatory power and modulate event-related potentials in healthy adults
This double-blind study (n=22) investigated the effects of microdosing LSD (13μg & 26μg) on resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP) in healthy adults. The study found that microdoses of LSD produced desynchronization patterns similar to those reported with higher doses of psychedelics, leading the authors to believe that microdoses of LSD may produce therapeutic effects in the absence of a full psychedelic experience.
Authors
- Perry, C. M.
- Malina, M.
Published
Abstract
Rationale
Classical psychedelics, including psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), are under investigation as potential therapeutic agents in psychiatry. Whereas most studies utilize relatively high doses, there are also reports of beneficial effects of “microdosing,” or repeated use of very low doses of these drugs. The behavioural and neural effects of these low doses are not fully understood.
Objectives
To examine the effects of LSD (13 μg and 26 μg) versus placebo on resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP) responses in healthy adults.
Methods
Twenty-two healthy men and women, 18 to 35 years old, participated in 3 EEG sessions in which they received a placebo or LSD (13 μg and 26 μg) under double-blind conditions. During each session, participants completed drug effect and mood questionnaires at hourly intervals, and physiological measures were recorded. During the expected peak drug effect, EEG recordings were obtained, including resting-state neural oscillations in scalp electrodes over default mode network (DMN) regions and P300, N170, and P100 ERPs evoked during a visual oddball paradigm.
Results
LSD dose-dependently reduced oscillatory power across the delta, theta, alpha, beta, and gamma frequency bands during both eyes closed and eyes open resting conditions. During the oddball task, LSD dose-dependently reduced ERP amplitudes for P300 and N170 components and increased P100 latency. LSD also produced dose-related increases in a positive mood, elation, energy, and anxiety and increased heart rate and blood pressure. On a measure of altered states of consciousness, LSD dose-dependently increased Blissful State, but not other indices of perceptual or sensory effects typical of psychedelic drugs. The subjective effects of the drug were not correlated with the EEG measures.
Conclusions
Low doses of LSD produced broadband cortical desynchronization over the DMN during resting state and reduced P300 and N170 amplitudes, patterns similar to those reported with higher doses of psychedelics. Notably, these neurophysiological effects raise the possibility that very low doses of LSD may produce subtle behavioural and perhaps therapeutic effects that do not rely on the full psychedelic experience.
Research Summary of 'Low doses of LSD reduce broadband oscillatory power and modulate event-related potentials in healthy adults'
Introduction
Research on classical psychedelics has expanded in the past decade, with clinical trials investigating relatively high doses of compounds such as psilocybin and LSD across disorders including depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, addictions and anorexia. Parallel to these controlled trials, anecdotal and naturalistic reports of "microdosing"—regular ingestion of very low doses of LSD (around 10–15 μg)—have proliferated, with users reporting mood and cognitive benefits. Controlled laboratory work to date suggests single low doses can increase vigour, reduce attentional lapses and alter time perception, while producing few robust effects on mood or cognition; however, the neural effects of these very low doses remain poorly characterised. This study set out to characterise the acute neural signature of low doses of LSD in healthy adults, using electroencephalography (EEG). Specifically, Murray and colleagues tested whether single sublingual doses of 13 μg and 26 μg LSD, compared with placebo, would alter resting-state oscillatory power over scalp regions corresponding to default mode network (DMN) hubs and modulate event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked during a visual oddball task. The investigators also measured subjective drug effects, mood and cardiovascular responses, and explored relationships between EEG changes and subjective measures.
Expert Research Summaries
Go Pro to access AI-powered section-by-section summaries, editorial takes, and the full research toolkit.
Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topics
- APA Citation
Murray, C. H., Tare, I., Perry, C. M., Malina, M., Lee, R., & de Wit, H. (2022). Low doses of LSD reduce broadband oscillatory power and modulate event-related potentials in healthy adults. Psychopharmacology, 239(6), 1735-1747. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-021-05991-9
References (30)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Bershad, A. K., Schepers, S. T., Bremmer, M. P. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2019)
Bershad, A. K., Preller, K. H., Lee, R. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2020)
Bravermanová, A., Viktorinová, M., Tylš, F. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2018)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Friston, K. J. · Pharmacological Reviews (2019)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Erritzoe, D., Williams, T. et al. · PNAS (2012)
Carhart-Harris, R. L., Muthukumaraswamy, S., Roseman, L. et al. · PNAS (2016)
Fadiman, J., Korb, S. · Journal of Psychoactive Drugs (2019)
Family, N., Maillet, E. L., Williams, L. T. J. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2019)
Grimm, O., Kraehenmann, R., Preller, K. H. et al. · European Neuropsychopharmacology (2018)
Johnstad, P. G. · Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs (2018)
Show all 30 referencesShow fewer
Kometer, M., Pokorny, T., Seifritz, E. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2015)
Kuypers, K. P. C., Erritzoe, D., Knudsen, G. M. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2019)
Lebedev, A. V., L€ Ovd En, M., Rosenthal, G. et al. · Human Brain Mapping (2015)
Lebedev, A. V., Kaelen, M., L€ Ovd En, M. et al. · Human Brain Mapping (2016)
Luppi, A. I., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Roseman, L. et al. · NeuroImage (2021)
Mueller, F., Lenz, C., Dolder, P. C. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2017)
Muthukumaraswamy, S. D., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Moran, R. J. et al. · Journal of Neuroscience (2013)
Polito, V., Stevenson, R. J. · PLOS ONE (2019)
Preller, K. H., Razi, A., Zeidman, P. et al. · PNAS (2019)
Preller, K. H., Herdener, M., Pokorny, T. et al. · Current Biology (2017)
Preller, K. H., Burt, J. B., Adkinson, B. et al. · eLife (2018)
Quednow, B. B., Kometer, M., Geyer, M. A. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2011)
Riba, J., Anderer, P., Morte, A. et al. · British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2002)
Rocha, J. M., Osório, F. L., Crippa, J. A. et al. · Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology (2019)
Ross, S., Bossis, A. P., Guss, J. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2016)
Schartner, M., Carhart-Harris, R. L., Barrett, A. B. et al. · Scientific Reports (2017)
Schmidt, A., Kometer, M., Bachmann, R. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2012)
Szigeti, B., Kartner, L., Blemings, A. et al. · eLife (2021)
Tagliazucchi, E., Roseman, L., Kaelen, M. et al. · Current Biology (2016)
Yanakieva, S., Polychroni, N., Family, N. et al. · Psychopharmacology (2018)
Cited By (27)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Murphy, R. J., Wardlaw, M., Smith, T. et al. · Journal of Humanistic Psychology (2025)
Lissemore, J. I., Chaiken, A., Keller, C. J. et al. · Nature Mental Health (2025)
Piccinini, J. I., Perl, Y. S., Pallavicini, C. et al. · Communications Biology (2025)
Modzelewski, S., Waszkiewicz, N., Lukasiewicz, K. et al. · Neuropharmacology (2025)
Haggarty, C. J., Molla, H. M., Glazer, J. et al. · Psychedelic Medicine (2024)
Enriquez-Geppert, S,, Lietz, M. P., O'Higgins, F. · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2024)
Hutten, N. R. P. W., Quaedflieg, C. W. E. M., Mason, N. L. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Polito, V., Liknaitzky, P. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2024)
Allen, N., Jeremiah, A., Murphy, R. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2024)
Erritzoe, D., Timmermann, C., Godfrey, K. et al. · Nature Mental Health (2024)
Show all 27 papersShow fewer
Murphy, R. J., Godfrey, K., Shaw, A. D. et al. · BMC Psychiatry (2024)
De Filippo, R., Schmitz, D. · Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews (2024)
Murray, C., Frohlich, J, Haggarty, C. J., Tare, I. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2024)
Murphy, R., Muthukumaraswamy, S., De Wit, H. · Biological Psychiatry (2024)
Orłowski, P., Hobot, J., Ruban, A. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Molla, H. M., Lee, R., Tare, I. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Enriquez-Geppert, S,, Krc, J., O'Higgins, F., Lietz, M. P. · OSF Preprints (2023)
Murphy, R., Sumner, R. L., Evans, W. J. et al. · Biological Psychiatry (2023)
Tagen, M., Mantuani, D., Van Heerden, L. et al. · Journal of Psychopharmacology (2023)
Prugger, J., Hirschfeld, T., Majic, T. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2023)
Turkia, M. · Psychiatry Research (2022)
Prugger, J., Derdiyok, E., Dinkelacker, J. et al. · Scientific Data (2022)
Glazer', J., Murray, C. H., Nusslock', R. et al. · Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Gattuso, J. J., Perkins, D., Ruffell, S. G. D. et al. · International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology (2022)
Cavanna, F., Muller, S., de la Fuente, L. A. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2022)
Ferenstein, G. · SSRN (2022)
Cavanna, F., Muller, S., de la Fuente, L. A. et al. · Translational Psychiatry (2021)
Your Personal Research Library
Go Pro to save papers, add notes, rate studies, and organize your research into custom shelves.