mar 5 gad + lsd & schizophrenia

Professor Introduction

  • Instructor: Steven J. Barnes

  • Topic: LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide)

Class Agenda

  • First Half: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

    • Guest expert presenting

    • Content not recorded and not examinable

  • Second Half: LSD & Schizophrenia

  • Overview of Midterm 2

Upcoming Topics

  • Tuesday, March 10:

    • Continuation of LSD & Schizophrenia

    • Schizophrenia & Marijuana

  • Wednesday, March 11, 3-4 PM:

    • Midterm 2 Q&A Session (Zoom)

  • Thursday, March 12:

    • Midterm 2 Exam

Learning Outcomes

  • Outline the history of LSD's discovery and early research.

  • Describe the acute effects of LSD.

Overview of LSD

  • Definition: Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is classified as a psychedelic hallucinogen.

Historical Context of LSD

  • Discovery:

    • Scientist: Dr. Albert Hoffman, a Swiss chemist.

    • Year of Synthesis: 1938, as part of research seeking a new drug therapy for migraines.

    • Notable Date: April 16, 1943, Hoffman accidentally absorbed LSD, resulting in the first recorded LSD trip.

First Recorded Trip

  • Hoffman’s Account (April 16, 1943):

    • Described feelings of remarkable restlessness and slight dizziness.

    • Experienced a condition similar to intoxication characterized by a stimulated imagination.

    • Entered a dreamlike state with vivid, kaleidoscopic imagery: "…an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures…"

    • This intoxicated state faded after approximately two hours.

    • Quote reference: Hoffman, 1980.

Bicycle Day

  • Event: On April 19, 1943, three days after the initial absorption, Albert Hoffman ingested 0.25 mg of LSD intentionally and rode home by bicycle. This day is now referred to as 'Bicycle Day.'

Hoffman’s Second Experience

  • Description:

    • Hoffman described feelings of fear of insanity and sensations of being transported to another world.

    • His body felt lifeless, raising questions of mortality.

    • He felt disconnected from his body yet perceived his circumstances as an outsider.

    • Expressed concern regarding public and family perception of his experiments.

    • Quote reference: Hoffman, 1980.

Research Developments

  • Sandoz Pharmaceuticals:

    • Hoffman’s employer, which made LSD available for research purposes.

    • Notable for publishing the first clinical trial involving LSD with 16 healthy volunteers and 6 individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

LSD Packaging Example

  • Product Information: 50 tablets of Delysid (LSD 25)

    • Dosage: 1 tablet contains 0.025 mg of D-lysergic acid diethylamide tartrate.

    • Warning: Classified as a poison and for distribution only to physicians.

    • Instructions: "Before using read enclosed leaflet carefully."

    • Manufactured in Switzerland by Sandoz Ltd., Basle.

Psychedelic Experiences

  • Characteristics of Psychedelics:

    • Sensory-aesthetic experiences marked by changes in perception:

    • Increased color vividness

    • Illusions of movement in static objects

    • Fractal and kaleidoscopic imagery

    • Enhanced sensitivity to music

    • Altered sense of touch and body awareness

    • Synesthesia (crossed sensory perceptions)

    • Quote reference: Garcia-Romeu & Richards, 2018.

Acute Effects of LSD: Subjective Experience

  • Scale of Effects: Maximum (%) on experiences related to LSD use.

  • Notable Experiences:

    • Spiritual experiences

    • Blissful states

    • Insightfulness

    • Feelings of disembodiment

    • Impaired control and cognition

    • Anxiety

    • Complex imagery

    • Elementary imagery

    • Audio-visual synesthesia (combination of auditory and visual experiences)

    • Changed meaning of perceptions

    • Source: Schmid et al., 2014.