2024-02-28 05:15:02
A recent new study suggests that regularly taking psychedelics in very small amounts could provide numerous benefits to the brain, both in terms of mood and brain power. In their published research in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology on January 29, 2024, American and German scientists attempted microdosing experiments on a group of twenty-one healthy adults.
Science Ages reminds us that LSD, which was accidentally created in the 1930s, is still a banned drug. We now know that LSD activates certain serotonin receptors in the brain, which complicates brain activity. However, the risks of altered consciousness force scientists to perform a balancing act to achieve an effective therapeutic solution. The goal is to achieve the positive effects by overcoming the safety and ethical issues associated with the altered states of consciousness that psychedelics cause. In this specific case, the results showed that low doses can improve well-being in certain respects, notably by reducing the perception of pain.
For their experiment, the researchers administered three types of microdoses to the participants: either a placebo, thirteen micrograms of LSD, or twenty-six micrograms of LSD. In theory, none of these dosages are supposed to cause hallucinatory effects on the consumer.
The participants’ brain activity was then tested using electroencephalography, when the effects of the drugs were supposed to be strongest. Participants were also asked to complete a questionnaire to assess whether they had experienced any changes in their level of consciousness.
The results show that the microdose of twenty-six micrograms of LSD increased the neuronal complexity of the brain by approximately 12% compared to a placebo, all without the participants’ consciousness being altered. The latter, however, mentioned slight increases in anxiety and excitement in their feelings.
Repeated experience with other drugs
The researchers repeated the experiment in two other groups, replacing microdoses of LSD with microdoses of THC in one, and methamphetamine in the other. In these experiments, THC affected the participants’ consciousness in a way that methamphetamine did not. However, even though THC modified the level of consciousness, the neuronal complexity remained unchanged. In their report, the researchers explain that these data make it possible to prove “that increased neuronal complexity is not necessary, or at least not sufficient to alter conscious states”.
On the other hand, it is still too early to arrive at a precise and definitive measurement of psychedelic effects. The study in question is based on a very small sample, and neurologist Robin Carhart-Harris suggests that larger experiments are needed. According to him, it is still too early to say that microdoses have no impact on everyone’s consciousness. Additionally, the risks of consuming LSD, even if it is twenty-six micrograms, are still difficult to define precisely.
Conor Murray, who led the study, also believes that further research is needed. He hopes that in the future, the increase in neuronal complexity that he and his team observed could translate into therapeutic solutions tailored to people suffering from cognitive and behavioral disorders.
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