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LSD "kills" the feeling of fear.
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025

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Scientists from Switzerland have discovered that the drug LSD relieves feelings of fear and anxiety.
LSD, also known as lysergic acid diethylamide, is a narcotic drug with a psychoactive effect, exhibiting hallucinogenic, psychedelic and psychomimetic activity. Research on this substance began in the thirties of the last century. However, after the drug was banned for use, scientists' interest in it somewhat waned. Only recently has LSD research been resumed, since there were still no scientific descriptions of the properties of this drug. Specialists have scanned the activity of brain structures in people after taking LSD, and also described the process of binding the drug to neural receptors in order to further explain the duration of the psychedelic effect.
As described earlier, drug use provoked profound disturbances of perception and had a dramatic effect on a person's psycho-emotional state. There is information that the drug inhibits the feeling of fear and anxiety, replacing them with other feelings - for example, euphoria. Microbiologists representing the University of Basel decided to study in more detail the mechanism of action of the narcotic substance.
Why did scientists choose LSD? Because this drug is considered a powerful remedy for treating deep depressive states, even in practically hopeless patients.
The experiment involved two dozen volunteers, aged 25-58. They were asked to take an average amount of the drug LSD, or a "dummy" drug. After two and a half hours - at the moment of the drug's most pronounced effect - the participants were placed in an MRI scanner to monitor changes in brain activity. At the same time, for a certain period of time, the participants were shown pictures of people's faces expressing fear. In order to make sure that the volunteers were actually looking at the pictures and not ignoring them, they were asked to determine the gender of the drawn characters out loud.
As a result, scientists discovered that under the influence of the drug LSD, the brain structures of the study participants only slightly responded to frightening images. During magnetic resonance imaging, specialists paid special attention to the amygdala, the medial and fusiform gyri. Increased activity of the amygdala is often recorded with increased anxiety, and in the gyri, the feeling of fear normally causes the process of excitation.
At one time, LSD was banned because after taking this substance, a condition resembling deep schizophrenia often occurs. The drug gradually accumulates in the body, which leads to a loss of sensitivity and requires regular increases in dosage. Incidentally, scientists have recently stated that LSD can cure drug addiction.