Addict Biol
February 1, 2022
Harriet de Wit, Hanna M. Molla, Anya Bershad et al.
82 citations
Repeated low doses of LSD (13 or 26 μg) taken every 3–4 days by healthy adults produced modest subjective effects, such as feeling a drug effect and stimulant-like or LSD-like sensations, but did not improve mood or cognitive performance on psychomotor or most emotional tasks. No lingering effects on mood or task performance were detected at a drug-free follow-up session 3–4 days later. The study concludes that, in a controlled setting with a limited number of administrations, repeated low-dose LSD is safe but yields negligible changes in mood or cognition in healthy volunteers.
Schizophrenia Research
March 13, 2026
Michel Sabé, Paul Grof, Nathan B. Sackett et al.
1 citation
Serotonergic psychedelics, which are being explored for treatment-resistant depression, might also help with depressive and negative symptoms in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs). Schizophrenia and depression share some underlying brain disturbances, including problems with dopamine, glutamate, and neuroplasticity, as well as abnormal brain network connectivity. Depressive symptoms in SSDs may combine features of both disorders, and psychedelics could potentially recalibrate maladaptive brain networks. Preclinical studies show psychedelics increase dendritic spines and BDNF and restore reward sensitivity. Clinical evidence is limited: uncontrolled psychedelic use is linked to increased psychosis, but controlled administration may be tolerated in stable individuals. Only one early-phase trial with MDMA in schizophrenia is ongoing; no randomized trials have tested psilocybin or LSD in SSDs. The authors conclude that psychedelics are biologically plausible but unproven for these symptoms.
BMJ open
May 11, 2026
Julia Colcott, Alexandre A Guerin, Olivia Carter et al.
A new tool, the MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy Side Effects Tool (M-SET), was developed to systematically capture side effects during MDMA-assisted psychotherapy. Experts in MDMA-AP and neuropsychopharmacology participated in a two-round online Delphi process to refine a list of 165 items across four questionnaires covering screening, baseline, medication session days, and follow-up. The tool aims to improve safety monitoring and build a more robust evidence base on the tolerability of MDMA-AP for research and clinical use.
Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.)
January 1, 2024
Hanna Molla, Giovanni Novembre, Anya Bershad et al.
MDMA increases the perceived pleasantness of touch, but the neural mechanisms are not well understood. In a double-blind, randomized, within-subject fMRI study with 18 healthy participants, MDMA (1.5 mg/kg) compared to placebo enhanced affective ratings of gentle touch at both a slower, more pleasant speed (3 cm/s) and a faster, less pleasant speed (30 cm/s). Plasma oxytocin levels also increased more during the MDMA session. On the neural level, primary sensorimotor areas showed greater hemodynamic changes during MDMA for both touch speeds, indicating an early influence within somatosensory pathways. Changes in oxytocin levels interacted with the drug in area MT+, associated with motion perception. However, the posterior insula did not show preferential activation for the slower stroking speed.