Effects of LSD on the human brain imaged for the first time

Imperial College London (UK) researchers have successfully visualized the effects of the psychedelic compound, termed Lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD, for the first time, following a series of experiments utilizing cutting-edge brain scanning techniques. The findings were published recently in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study included 20 healthy volunteers who received either 75 micrograms of LSD, or placebo, and underwent arterial spin labeling (ASL), blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) measures and magnetoencephalography (MEG). Results indicated that increased visual cortex cerebral blood flow (CBF), decreased visual cortex alpha power and an expanded primary visual cortex (V1) functional connectivity...