McGill Researchers Discover One Of The Possible Mechanisms Behind LSD’s Ability To Boost Sociability

Article by Sam Riches, Growth Op

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) research from McGill University could have therapeutic applications in treating some psychiatric disorders, including anxiety, according to findings published in the journal PNAS.

Microdosing LSD as a means to boost creativity and productivity has become popular in recent years, but, until now, the “mechanism of action” had remained elusive, note the researchers.

Using a mice model, researchers observed a boost in the sociability of mice after administering low doses of LSD over a seven-day period.

“This increased sociability occurs because the LSD activates the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptors and the AMPA receptors — which is a glutamate receptor, the main brain excitatory neurotransmitters — in the prefrontal cortex and also activates a cellular protein called mTORC 1,” Danilo De Gregorio, the study’s lead author, explains in a news release from McGill.

According to Nahum Sonenberg, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry at McGill University, the novelty of the research is identifying that “the prosocial effects of LSD activate the 5-HT₂ receptors, which, in turn, activate the excitatory synapses of the AMPA receptor as well as the protein complex mTORC1.”

Sonenberg says that these brain pathways are dysregulated in mental disorders that impact sociability.

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