What LSD Does to the Brain

in today's video we're doing a deep dive into the substance LSD commonly known as acid and what it does to the human body it's going to be a trip let's do this it's important to start this video with a quick disclaimer LSD is a schedule one drug here in the United States meaning that manufacturing possessing or Distributing the drug is illegal unless you have a research license to do so this video is meant for educational purposes as well as furthering the conversation as it pertains to any potential therapeutic and legal usage for psychedelics nothing else lysergic acid diethylamide or LSD was first synthesized in 1938 by the Swiss chemist Albert Hoffman it was the 25th compound he had synthesized from the Fungus ergot which grows on rye and he didn't believe it to be psychedelic at all it wasn't until five years later that Hoffman accidentally dosed himself with the compound and discovered its psychedelic effects which had to be a wild experience even if it wasn't the most you know powerful or extreme trip in existence I can only imagine that hat that was not on his list of expectations for that day you see Hoffman had been researching potential medicinal aspects of ergot because ergot alkaloids have multiple effects on the cardiovascular and nervous systems of mammals such as vasoconstriction and alterations in neurotransmission once Hoffman realized what LSD could do he intentionally dosed himself again in 1943 although the dose was just a bit bigger than it needed to be dosages of LSD are measured in micrograms which are millions of a gram there isn't any standardized dosage terminology for LSD but you'll typically find certain ranges of doses based on how much can be physically present on a paper sugar cube or other means of consumption around 20 micrograms is seen to be the threshold dose which means that's how much LSD you'd have to take in order to feel its effects anything under that dosage is called micro dosing and is something many believe to have significant essential in boosting creativity productivity and interpersonal relationships Tech entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley made headlines Years Ago by openly stating that microdosing LSD and other psychedelics was becoming a norm in their workspace however meeting that 20 microgram threshold doesn't necessarily mean that someone is going to feel the Psychedelic effects of LSD it usually requires between 25 to 50 micrograms of LSD in order for the visuals and other effects to begin however this is also dependent upon your body type meaning larger individuals probably wouldn't see any psychedelic effects at this range while smaller individuals would between 1500 micrograms of LSD is largely considered to be a normal or standard dose of LSD regardless of your body type this is where you'd be feeling the Psychedelic aspects of the drug although its intensity can still widely vary based upon your body type typically doses in this range aren't overwhelming but you wouldn't be considered sober 100 to 150 micrograms is where most users begin to see strong visuals and start experiencing other effects including oftentimes anxiety meaning bad trips become more likely but it's important to understand that dosage doesn't equate to bad trips so just because someone took a large dose doesn't guarantee that they're going to have a bad trip anything beyond 150 micrograms is considered a large dose of LSD but around the 400 to 500 range and even Beyond is considered a heroic dose of the drug many users out there will consume LSD in the thousands of microgram range and many will argue that psychedelics should only be consumed if it's in the heroic dosages since this is where benefits are seen to be at their largest especially when it comes to detaching from the ego however large doses of LSD are not something to take lightly and have been known to affect individuals for years afterwards in sufficiently large doses oftentimes in undesirable ways in case you're wondering Albert Hoffman took a dose of 250 micrograms in April 1943 and concluded that somewhere around 50 micrograms was likely the ideal dose so you're probably curious to know what can someone expect to experience with LSD speaking of curiosity I want to thank the sponsor of today's video curiosity stream without doubt curiosity stream is one of my favorite sponsors that we have on this channel I genuinely watch curiosity stream all the time curiosity stream offers award-winning and original documentary films show and series that you can't find anywhere else with content spanning science nature history technology military history music food and more curiosity stream is streaming Heaven if you're a nerd like me new content drops every single weekend with plans starting at under five dollars a month you can gain access to thousands of hours of high quality documentaries and series they have both monthly and annual plans available which means you can choose the plan that works best for you and your budget currently I'm in the midst of watching I human which wonders what the future will look like as tech companies and governments lead the research and development of artificial intelligence if you're someone who is curious about the intersection of humanity and Technology you'll absolutely love it if you're interested go to curiositystream.com ioha or scan the QR code for unlimited access to the world's top documentaries and non-fiction series and for our fans use promo code ioha and you will save 25 percent off you can find the link in the description below LSD is an odorless and colorless substance that doesn't have much of a taste if any at all in fact if the user tastes something bitter that's a good indicator that the substance isn't LSD but instead a fake form of it that can be extremely harmful to the body LSD is initially synthesized in a crystal form and is extremely potent in order to lower its strength it's diluted into a liquid and then droplets of the drug can be added to an absorbent paper or even sugar cubes it can also be found in tablets capsules or liquid form so based on this you've probably figured out that LSD is mostly consumed orally but it also can be injected intravenously but depending on the method of consumption it's important to know that LSD can actually be absorbed at multiple different spots in the digestive tract if a liquid dropper or paper is used LSD will primarily be absorbed through the mucosal membranes in the oral cavity which means it'll get into circulation quicker than if swallowed by capsule or tablet lip form if it is swallowed the LSD will be partially absorbed by the stomach although most of it will be absorbed by the small intestine and brought towards the liver and body circulation historically this is where things get cloudy per LSD and that's because given its schedule 1 status here in the United States there hasn't been a ton of research detailing exactly what happens from here however since 2015 multiple Studies have been working to clear this up and we're finally starting to get a clearer picture in human beings LSD is rapidly metabolized into several different metabolites such as two Oxo three-hydroxy LSD or oh LSD and six nor lysergic acid diethylamide or nor LSD it appears that enzymes in the liver specifically monoamine oxidase enzymes as well as multiple cytochrome p450 enzymes are at least partially responsible for the breakdown interestingly ohlsd is the major urinary metabolite of SD and can also be detected in blood plasma one study showed that 13 percent of orally ingested LSD Finds Its way into the urine in the form of ohlsd which isn't believed to be psychedelic that same study showed that only one percent of the orally ingested LSD remains LSD and is excreted into the urine by the kidneys that means the other 86 percent of the ingested LSD is converted into various other metabolites of which there are many the goal now is to discover the entirety of the metabolites and what effect they each have on the body but our current understanding suggests that most of the effects of LSD and its metabolites come from their relationship that they have with the various serotonin receptors throughout the body serotonin belongs to the class of monoamine neurotransmitters along with dopamine norepinephrine and epinephrine it's derived from the amino acid tryptophan and is produced reduced in both the brain and digestive tract serotonin participates or even outright regulates a wide range of effects in the body including appetite control bone health blood clotting sexual function temperature regulation digestion social behavior impulse control learning memory as well as the regulation of sleep and mood to influence or accomplish these effects serotonin binds to numerous receptors in the body called The 5-ht receptors these receptors are distributed all throughout the body including multiple regions in the brain blood platelets the heart lungs and multiple tissues of the digestive tract LSD and its metabolites are known to bind to and activate several of these receptors and in some cases they are partial agonists and in other cases they are full agonists the difference here is that partial agonists don't have a full effect at the receptor site while full agonists obviously do based on their name and current research suggests that the primary target for LSD at least in regards to the Psychedelic effects of LSD is going to be what's known as the 5-ht2a receptor where LSD is a partial Agonist 5-ht2a receptors are found in multiple locations in the brain but are especially dense in regions associated with learning and cognition which includes the entirety of the cerebral cortex as well as the hypothalamus and amygdala of the limbic system this is important to understanding LSD because these regions are essentially responsible for The Human Experience the amygdala plays a role in memory decision making and is responsible for negative emotions the occipital cortex is responsible for visual processing the temporal cortex is responsible for auditory processing the frontal cortex is responsible for motor control rationality empathy and more however LSD and its metabolites have been shown to bind to more than just serotonin receptors but also dopamine histamine andrenergic and even opioid receptors so while plenty of science still needs to be done in order to properly understand how manipulating these receptors creates the characteristic effects of LSD it's not all that surprising given the location and distribution of these receptors that we see the effects that we do so again what are these effects first up let's discuss some of the cognitive effects of LSD beginning with visual hallucinations these include seeing shapes colors and motions that are not really there and are often more Vivid with the eyes closed then there's something called synesthesia which is the blending of the senses so sounds may be scene or colors may be heard while the full mechanism of how LSD influences synesthesia is still being explored it's likely a product of those serotonin receptors being activated in such a way that regions of the brain that don't normally communicate or if they do they communicate more subtly are now cross talking with each other in unique ways it's also thought that LSD can influence the amount of sensory stimuli being processed causing the brain to be flooded with information that it would normally filter out foreign you'll also see enhanced pattern recognition with LSD consumption as well as a loss of ego and boundaries at higher doses physically dilated pupils nausea sweating and muscle weakness are all common although the dose heavily influences this so what about the harmful effects of LSD every bit of data we have available to us suggests that overdosing on LSD is technically possible but practically impossible people have consumed an incredible amount of LSD and physically are fine about 24 to 48 hours afterwards and that's at maximum this is because LSD only lasts in the body for about 12 hours or so higher doses means more receptors are being taken up by the LSD and its metabolites but again the LSD can only last so long in the body but that doesn't mean that higher doses are a pleasant experience nausea vomiting diarrhea increased heart rate and more have all been shown to occur with LSD consumption LSD is detectable in the urine for up to four days afterwards and up to 12 hours or so through the bloodstream the psychological effects of LSD however can last a long time and arguably this is the reason LSD is consumed for many people it's to have these psychological effects it's important to understand that this isn't a ride that you can choose to stop whenever you want an improper environment or reason for consumption such as partying can lead to dangerous decisions Panic aggression and depression are all possible if the user is having a bad trip they can become hyper focused on death and even feel as though they are physically dying for some people though that's the that's the entire Point like that's the entire point or at least to encounter that and then overcome it but still though like where you physically are after consuming the LSD and where that's happening is not a small matter on top of that for some the psychological impact of an LSD trip can last for months or even years again depending on the dose and the overall environment for some people psychosis is a legitimate possibility with a sufficient dose or an improper environment look this is a powerful substance it significantly Alters the perception of reality to assume that everything is going to be okay just because you can't physically overdose and die from it honestly that's reckless now this may sound strange but for the same reasons the LSD can be harmful it can also be beneficial given the correct dosage and circumstances for consumption psychedelics as a whole are in the midst of a needed re-evaluation and overall Revolution while LSD isn't getting the same attention to say ketamine or psilocybin in regards to treating psychological conditions the data does suggest it has real potential if done correctly is is that potential you know greater than ketamine or psilocybin or is it the same as them I couldn't tell you but that doesn't mean that it has no benefit and again it's a schedule one drug here in the United States so we at The Institute of human anatomy are not out here advocating for people to just go out and consume the product instead we're hoping there will be more research done on LSD to determine the efficacy in regards to treating psychological conditions such as PTSD and grief thanks for watching everyone be sure to click the link in the description below and get 25 off unlimited access to curiosity stream today if you enjoyed the video consider giving it a thumbs up and I'll see you in the next one thank you