In a study, Scientists have found out that administering microdoses of LSD can aid in raising the levels of social interactions among people with certain psychiatric conditions. McGill University researchers did the study, and it is now published in the PNAS Journal.
The research study develops avenues for finding treatments for anxiety, autism, and drinking disorders.
LSD, a popular psychedelic that could now become a medical drug.
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD), is a psychedelic that has been well known since the 1970s. Recently, several reports have shown that many young professionals are taking microdoses of the drug to uplift their productivity, creativity, and empathy. However, the effect of LSD on the brain is yet to be fully determined till now.
The research team from McGill University gave mice a low LSD dose for over a week and keenly observed. They ultimately found out that the mice’s social activity increased as the week progressed.
Danilo De Gregorio, a postdoctoral fellow at McGill’s Neurobiological Psychiatry Unit, explained that their findings were based on three scientific factors: AMPA receptors and Serotonin receptors being triggered in the brain and a cellular protein being triggered in the prefrontal cortex.
All three factors influenced the rise in social interaction in the mice. Gregorio also noted that the high social interaction effect in mice was equivalent to high social behavior and empathy levels in humans.
Furthermore, the research team aims at establishing the effects of LSD microdoses on mutant mice, which possess social challenges similar to those in many humans, including anxiety and autism.
Apart from psychiatric conditions, researchers are also looking into psychedelics to treat or reduce other psychological conditions, including depression. McGill’s research team has a goal of determining and developing treatments for several other diseases.
