Lysergic acid diethylamide: In search of the wonder drug
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.