Acute and post-acute neurobehavioral responses to lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study
Neuropsychopharmacology June 18, 2026 Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J Diehl, Morten P. Lietz et al.
A single 100 µg dose of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) improved offline motor learning the next day and, one week later, reduced perceived stress and increased aspects of cognitive flexibility in 45 healthy adults. Electroencephalography showed that LSD acutely decreased N1 and P2 auditory event-related potential amplitudes, with P2 still modulated after one week. Transcranial magnetic stimulation revealed increased motor-evoked potential amplitude and faster latency under LSD. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels were unchanged. The findings suggest lasting effects of LSD on learning and neural signals, while highlighting challenges in measuring long-term potentiation in humans.