University of Basel
40 papers in the library · 2,905 citations · publishing 2014-2026
European Neuropsychopharmacology February 25, 2021 Natasha L. Mason, Kim P. C. Kuypers, Johannes T. Reckweg et al. 16 citations
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Translational psychiatry September 4, 2024 Patrick Vizeli, Erich Studerus, Friederike Holze et al. 15 citations
LSD dose is the strongest predictor of the drug's subjective and autonomic effects, but non-pharmacological factors also play a significant role. Pre-drug mood states—such as well-being, emotional excitability, and anxiety—predict subjective effects, heart rate, and body temperature. The personality trait openness to experiences correlates with stronger mystical-type effects and oceanic boundlessness. Prior hallucinogen use is linked to less anxious ego dissolution and a less intense overall altered state. Acute anxiety relates negatively to the functionality of the Cytochrome 2D6 enzyme. Sex and body weight do not significantly influence the drug experience.
JAMA psychiatry June 1, 2025 Lorenz Mueller, Joyce Santos de Jesus, Yasmin Schmid et al. 14 citations
Repeated low doses of LSD (20 μg twice weekly for six weeks) did not reduce ADHD symptoms more than placebo in adults with moderate-to-severe ADHD. In a double-blind randomized trial with 53 participants, the LSD group showed an average 7.1-point improvement on the ADHD symptom scale, while the placebo group improved by 8.9 points—a difference that was not statistically significant. The treatment was physically safe and psychologically well tolerated. The findings suggest that microdosing LSD, despite popular interest, offers no advantage over placebo for ADHD symptom relief.
June 10, 2021 Drummond E-Wen Mcculloch, Gitte M. Knudsen, Frederick S. Barrett et al. 14 citations preprint
Research into psychedelic drugs like psilocybin, LSD, and DMT is growing, with clinical trials showing promise for psychiatric conditions. Resting-state fMRI is a common method to study brain mechanisms in these contexts. A review of 42 articles from 17 datasets found high heterogeneity in methods and analyses; two datasets underlie over half the publications, and terms like "entropy" are used inconsistently. The authors suggest that the field needs greater methodological consistency and replicability to identify stable neural markers of psychedelic effects, and encourage development of new models and quantification methods.
Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging May 1, 2024 Mihai Avram, Felix Müller, Katrin H Preller et al. 13 citations
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with 25 healthy participants, LSD, MDMA, and d-amphetamine all increased effective connectivity from the thalamus to specific unimodal cortices while reducing the influence of those cortices back onto the thalamus, indicating stronger bottom-up and weaker top-down information flow. For transmodal cortices, including parts of the salience network, amphetamines showed opposite effects. LSD uniquely increased effective connectivity from the thalamus to both unimodal and transmodal cortices, suggesting a breakdown in the hierarchical organization of brain activity. These findings refine models of how psychedelics alter brain connectivity.
Frontiers in Pharmacology June 28, 2017 Patrick C. Dolder, Edna Grünblatt, Felix Müller et al. 12 citations
A single 100 μg dose of LSD did not change the expression of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor gene (HTR2A) or the early growth response genes EGR1, EGR2, and EGR3 in the whole blood of 15 healthy subjects, measured 1.5 and 24 hours after administration. This null finding contrasts with rodent studies showing that LSD acutely increases EGR1 and EGR2 expression in the brain and that repeated use reduces 5-HT2A receptor binding. Whether chronic LSD administration alters gene expression in humans remains unknown.
Psychiatry Research January 29, 2025 Felix Müller, Thomas Sauer, Corina Hänny et al. 11 citations
A 60-year-old man with recurrent depression and a history of delusions died after psilocybin-assisted therapy. Psilocybin-triggered delusions and emotional dysregulation may have contributed to the death. A weak therapeutic alliance hindered assessment of the patient's internal state. Delusional symptoms may contraindicate psychedelic interventions. The case emphasizes the need for thorough assessment and close follow-up in complex cases.
Nature Medicine April 1, 2026 Manesh Girn, Manoj K. Doss, Leor Roseman et al. 8 citations
Psychedelic drugs are being studied again for their therapeutic potential, but how they change brain function is not well understood. By combining 11 brain-scanning datasets from five different psychedelics (psilocybin, LSD, mescaline, DMT, and ayahuasca) across three continents, researchers found a common pattern: increased communication between brain networks that handle high-level thinking (default, frontoparietal, and limbic) and those that handle sensory input (visual and somatomotor). Key deep-brain regions (thalamus, caudate, putamen) and the cerebellum also changed how they connect with sensorimotor networks. Contrary to some earlier studies, reductions in within-network connectivity were weak to moderate and varied by drug. These findings help resolve previous inconsistencies and provide a comprehensive map of how psychedelics alter large-scale brain organization.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology December 30, 2022 Helena Rogg, Mihai Avram, Felix Müller et al. 8 citations
Ketamine treatment in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) may reduce symptom severity, but the evidence is preliminary and based on small samples. The review suggests that ketamine could be a potential therapeutic option for BPD, particularly for comorbid depression, though more rigorous studies are needed to confirm efficacy and safety. The authors note that existing studies have significant limitations, including lack of control groups and short follow-up periods.
JAMA network open January 2, 2026 Gianluca Andri Florineth, Isabell Klima, Anna Laura Boeker et al. 5 citations
In a systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 controlled clinical trials involving 733 adults with depressive symptoms, psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) with psilocybin or LSD produced a large overall reduction in depressive symptoms compared to control conditions. More hours of preparation therapy before the psychedelic session were significantly linked to greater symptom reduction. However, the number of post-dosing integration therapy hours, total therapy sessions, and longer follow-up periods were not associated with better outcomes. Most studies had high risk of bias due to ineffective blinding. The findings suggest that preparation therapy may be a key component in optimizing PAT outcomes, but further research is needed.
Current topics in behavioral neurosciences July 31, 2024 Friederike Holze, Matthias E. Liechti, Felix Müller 4 citations
Psychedelics, including phenethylamines (e.g., mescaline), tryptamines (e.g., psilocybin), and ergolines (e.g., LSD), bind to the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor, causing profound alterations in sensation, cognition, emotions, and self-perception. While generally considered physiologically safe compared to other recreational drugs, they carry risks of lasting psychological adverse reactions such as persisting anxiety, dissociation, or flashbacks. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of their pharmacology, origins, psychological and autonomic effects, interactions, risks, dosing, and consumption methods, distinguishing them from other psychoactive drugs like MDMA and ketamine based on distinct receptor profiles.
Cell Reports Medicine May 7, 2026 Mihai Avram, Aurore Menegaux, Felix Müller et al. 1 citation
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) may alleviate depression by altering white matter microstructure in the brain, potentially reflecting enhanced neuroplasticity. In a clinical trial of 61 patients with major depressive disorder, those receiving moderate-to-high doses (100 μg then 200 μg) showed increased fractional anisotropy in several white matter tracts, including the internal and external capsule, sagittal stratum, and fornix/stria terminalis. These microstructural changes correlated with improvements in depressive symptoms measured at 2, 6, and 12 weeks. The findings suggest that LSD-induced white matter changes are linked to antidepressant effects.
Psychedelics as Psychiatric Medications March 1, 2023 Mihai Avram, Felix Müller, Stefan Borgwardt 1 citation
Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent perception-altering chemical that has been both revered and demonized since its discovery. Before its ban in the late 1960s, it was used to model aspects of psychosis and treat alcohol addiction and anxiety. Recent clinical trials show LSD can be administered safely in clinical settings to healthy volunteers and clinical groups. Small studies suggest potential therapeutic uses for anxiety. LSD's perception-altering effects involve agonism at the 5-HT2A receptor. Neuroimaging reveals LSD enhances signal diversity and complexity, decreases resting-state connectivity within intrinsic brain networks, and increases between-network connectivity, including thalamocortical connectivity.
Psychedelics June 28, 2026 Joost J. Breeksema, Ulf Bremberg, Jens H. van Dalfsen et al.
Psychedelic therapies face layered complexity from interactions between pharmacological and extra-pharmacological factors, and their embeddedness in societal, legal, and regulatory systems. This is compounded by epistemic fragmentation: dominant biomedical paradigms often clash with knowledge from social sciences, humanities, or Indigenous traditions. Though interdisciplinary engagement is increasingly recognized as necessary, existing calls rarely specify structural or pedagogical conditions for operationalizing it. Addressing these complexities requires moving beyond superficial collaboration; genuine interdisciplinary progress needs researchers capable of productive friction across epistemic cultures. The authors propose cultivating T-shaped competencies and intersectoral training as a structural response to these systemic challenges.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews July 1, 2022 Drummond E-Wen Mcculloch, Gitte Moos Knudsen, Frederick Streeter Barrett et al.
A large group of psychedelic imaging researchers reviewed 42 articles from 17 unique studies that used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine psychedelic effects. They found that nearly all studies varied in data processing and analysis methods, two datasets underpin over half of the published literature, and key outcome terms are used ambiguously. The authors recommend guidelines to improve consistency and replicability in future research, arguing that the field must balance novel methods with standardized approaches to reliably understand the neural mechanisms of psychedelics.