LSD and chromosomes. A controlled experiment
JAMA – November 03, 1969
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) does not appear to damage human chromosomes. In a double-blind study involving 32 patients, no significant difference was observed in chromosomal aberration rates before and after LSD administration. Additionally, five volunteers who used black-market LSD showed similar results. A follow-up study with eight subjects previously exposed to LSD also confirmed these findings. Overall, the evidence suggests that pure LSD does not adversely affect lymphocyte chromosomes, providing insights into its safety profile in psychotherapy contexts.
Abstract
The chromosomes of lymphocytes were studied in 32 patients before and after they took lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) as part of double-blind, controlled research of the effects of the drug in psychotherapy and in five black-market LSD users who volunteered to take pure LSD in a research setting. Statistical analysis revealed no significant difference between the before- and after-LSD chromosomal aberration rates. In addition, a post-LSD study of eight normal subjects who had received LSD in previous research experiments was also performed with the same cytogenetic methods. The results of these experiments consistently supported the conclusion that at this time there is no definite evidence that pure LSD damages chromosomes of human lymphocytes in vivo as studied from 72-hour cultures.