Dose-response relationships of LSD-induced subjective experiences in humans
Tim Hirschfeld, Johanna Prugger, Tomislav Majić, Timo Torsten Schmidt
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) November 7, 2022 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2022.11.05.515283 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractLysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) produces a sigmoid-like increase in altered states of consciousness, with effects plateauing around 100 micrograms. The strongest changes involve perception and illusory imagination, followed by positively experienced ego-dissolution, while anxiety and dread of ego dissolution show only small effects. Considerable variability in responses highlights the importance of non-pharmacological factors. These dose-response relationships can serve as references for future research on LSD.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Meta-analysis |
|---|---|
| Intervention | Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) |
| Dose | up to 200 μg base |
| Topics | Anxiety LSD |
| Keywords | Consciousness Hallucinogen Rating scale |
| Citations | 4 |
| Key finding | Most scales of altered states of consciousness show a sigmoid-like increase with a plateau at around 100 μg of LSD, with the strongest effects on perception and illusory imagination and only small effects on anxiety and dread of ego dissolution. |
Abstract
Abstract Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is a potent classic serotonergic psychedelic, which facilitates a variety of altered states of consciousness. Here we present the first meta-analysis establishing dose-response relationship estimates of the altered experience induced by LSD. Data extracted from articles identified by a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines were obtained from the Altered States Database. The psychometric data comprised ratings of subjective effects from standardized and validated questionnaires: the Altered States of Consciousness Rating Scale (5D-ASC, 11-ASC) and the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30). We performed meta-regression analyses using restricted cubic splines for data from studies with LSD doses of up to 200 μg base. Most scales revealed a sigmoid-like increase of effects with a plateauing at around 100 μg. The most strongly modulated factors referred to changes in perception and illusory imagination, followed by positively experienced ego-dissolution, while only small effects were found for Anxiety and Dread of Ego Dissolution . The partly observed considerable variability of effects points to the importance of non-pharmacological effects on subjective experiences. The established dose-response relationships may be used as general references for future experimental and clinical research on LSD to relate observed with expected subjective effects and to elucidate phenomenological differences between psychedelics.