Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
May 26, 2025
Denis Arikci, Friederike Holze, Lorenz Mueller et al.
6 citations
LSD base and tartrate formulations taken orally are bioequivalent, meaning they produce the same drug levels in the body. The absolute oral bioavailability of LSD is 80%, and all tested oral forms—ethanolic base solution, watery tartrate solution, and rapid-dissolving tablet—show similar pharmacokinetics. Intravenous LSD causes stronger subjective effects like ego dissolution and anxiety compared to oral forms. These findings support interchangeable oral dosing in research and clinical use.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
January 1, 2026
Isabelle Straumann, Patrick Vizeli, Isidora Avedisian et al.
5 citations
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial with 23 healthy adults, the acute effects of MDMA, its metabolite MDA, and two lysine-conjugated prodrugs were compared. MDA produced stronger and longer-lasting subjective drug effects (6.1 vs. 4.1 hours), greater stimulant effects, more negative effects, fear, and visual alterations than MDMA at equimolar doses. The lysine-conjugated prodrug of MDA (Lys-MDA) delayed the onset and peak of effects but otherwise acted similarly to MDA. Lys-MDMA did not release MDMA into the blood and produced no effects, indicating it is not a functional prodrug. The findings suggest MDA has a less favorable therapeutic profile than MDMA, and lysine conjugation can modulate the timing but not necessarily improve tolerability of effects.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
December 26, 2025
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Yasmin Schmid et al.
5 citations
A psychometric revalidation of the Altered States of Consciousness Scale (ASC) using data from 901 questionnaires across 16 psychedelic studies (with LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, and DMT) shows that ten of the eleven subscales can be grouped into three higher-order dimensions—Positive Effects, Distressing Effects, and Perceptual Effects—mirroring the original three-dimensional model but with improved statistical fit. The Anxiety subscale could not be integrated due to floor effects (low anxiety in the sample) but is retained for clinical relevance. The revised scale, 3D-ASCr, is recommended for use with classic serotonergic psychedelics.
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
July 1, 2026
Denis Arikci, Joran Borgulya, Isabelle Straumann et al.
1 citation
In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial, 24 healthy adults received three doses of 2C-B (10, 20, and 30 mg), 125 mg MDMA, and 25 mg psilocybin. The 30 mg dose of 2C-B produced subjective effects comparable to MDMA but weaker than psilocybin, and increased emotional empathy similarly to MDMA. Only psilocybin caused bad drug effects and anxiety. MDMA produced the greatest cardiovascular stimulation, followed by psilocybin and then 2C-B. Only MDMA raised plasma oxytocin and neurophysin I. The average subjective effect duration of 30 mg 2C-B was 4.9 hours, similar to MDMA (4.8 h) and shorter than psilocybin (6.1 h). 2C-B had a plasma elimination half-life of about 1.3 hours.
medRxiv
January 16, 2026
Kristian Larsen, Patrick M Fisher, Drummond E. Mcculloch et al.
1 citation
Classical psychedelics such as LSD, psilocybin, and mescaline produce distinct changes in brain complexity and entropy that are not seen with stimulants like MDMA or d-Amphetamine. Using resting-state fMRI data from three placebo-controlled crossover trials with 79 participants across 255 sessions, the study found that psychedelics specifically increased meta-state complexity, short-timescale multiscale entropy, and dynamic conditional correlation entropy. Both drug classes increased Lempel-Ziv and spatial complexity and decreased absolute modularity, but only psychedelics showed these unique complexity and entropy increases. These findings suggest that psychedelic-specific brain signal changes may help distinguish the acute psychedelic state from other psychoactive drug effects and could be relevant to understanding their therapeutic potential.
Religion Brain & Behavior
March 31, 2026
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
After administration of LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, or DMT, mystical oneness—the core of mystical experience—showed dose-sensitive strong correlations with luminous light and renewal, and a moderate-to-strong correlation with ego disintegration. These findings from 386 healthy participants across 15 studies support a broader, dynamic model of mystical experience, where mystical oneness unfolds with ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light. The results offer insights for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
January 1, 2026
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Frederick S. Barrett et al.
Mystical oneness after psychedelics is linked to ego disintegration, renewal, and luminous light, and these connections intensify with higher doses. Analyzing 816 measurements from 386 healthy participants given LSD, psilocybin, mescaline, or DMT across 15 studies, researchers found dose-sensitive strong correlations between mystical oneness and luminous light and renewal, and a moderate-to-strong correlation with ego disintegration. The results support a dynamic model of mystical experience and suggest relevance for psychedelic-assisted therapy.
Repository for Publications and Research Data
January 1, 2025
Kurt Stocker, Matthias Hartmann, Schmid, Yasmin et al.
The Altered States of Consciousness Scale (ASC), commonly used in psychedelic research, has two incompatible scoring systems: a three-dimensional model (3D-ASC) and an eleven-subscale model (11-ASC). Analyzing data from 901 questionnaires across 16 psychedelic studies, researchers found that ten of the eleven subscales could be reorganized into three higher-order dimensions—Positive, Distressing, and Perceptual effects—that closely mirror the original three dimensions but with improved statistical fit. This revised version, called the 3D-ASCr, retains the Anxiety subscale separately due to floor effects. The 3D-ASCr is recommended for use with classic serotonergic psychedelics in clinical practice and research.
edoc (University of Basel)
January 1, 2020
Patrick Vizeli
MDMA (ecstasy) produces its psychological effects by releasing serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine and increasing oxytocin levels. In a pooled analysis of up to 166 subjects from phase I studies, single doses of 75 or 125 mg MDMA caused notable increases in systolic blood pressure above 160 mmHg, heart rate above 100 bpm, and body temperature above 38°C in up to a third of participants. These autonomic effects were stronger with 125 mg. Adverse reactions like headache, bruxism, and appetite loss were dose-dependent and more frequent in women, suggesting a lower therapeutic dose for women.