Dose-response relationships of LSD-induced subjective experiences in humans
OpenAlex – November 07, 2022
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), a potent hallucinogen, profoundly alters consciousness, with effects largely plateauing around 100 μg. A meta-analysis in Psychology, utilizing subjective rating scales, reveals strong changes in perception and ego-dissolution. Crucially, minimal effects on Anxiety were observed. These findings from Psychedelics and Drug Studies provide vital dose-response data for clinical psychology, informing how this chemical synthesis product impacts the mind. Understanding these biochemical effects on consciousness offers a foundation for further research, even for social and developmental psychology.
Abstract
Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent classic serotonergic psychedelic, which facilitates a variety of altered states of consciousness. Here we present the first meta-analysis establishing dose-response relationship estimates of the altered experience induced by LSD. Data extracted from articles identified by a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines were obtained from the Altered States Database. The psychometric data comprised ratings of subjective effects from standardized and validated questionnaires: the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (5D-ASC, 11-ASC) and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30). We performed meta-regression analyses using restricted cubic splines for data from studies with LSD doses of up to 200 μg base. Most scales revealed a sigmoid-like increase of effects with a plateauing at around 100 μg. The most strongly modulated factors referred to changes in perception and illusory imagination, followed by positively experienced ego-dissolution, while only small effects were found for Anxiety and Dread of Ego Dissolution . The partly observed considerable variability of effects points to the importance of non-pharmacological effects on subjective experiences. The established dose-response relationships may be used as general references for future experimental and clinical research on LSD to relate observed with expected subjective effects and to elucidate phenomenological differences between psychedelics.