LSD induces a heightened state of consciousness, new study shows
Psychedelic drugs open up the mind, according to a new study that found that LSDs induce a “heightened” state of consciousness.
Researchers from Sussex University say that they found proof that psychedelic drugs open up the user’s mind. Relying on brain imaging technology, neuroscientists looked at the brain’s regular electric activity and compared it with the activity after taking three types of drugs, psilocybin, ketamine and LSD.
What the scientists found was surprising. The brains of drugs showed, across all three drugs, the neural signal diversity was reliably higher.
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The diversity of brain signals provides a mathematical index of the level of consciousness. For example, people who are awake have been shown to have more diverse neural activity using this scale than those who are asleep. And now scientists found that brains on LSD have higher neural diversity than people who are awake.
“During the psychedelic state, the electrical activity of the brain is less predictable and less ‘integrated’ than during normal conscious wakefulness – as measured by ‘global signal diversity,” said Professor Anil Seth, Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex.“Since this measure has already shown its value as a measure of ‘conscious level’, we can say that the psychedelic state appears as a higher ‘level’ of consciousness than normal – but only with respect to this specific mathematical measure.”
But scientists are quick to point out that while psychedelic drugs might offer a heightened state of consciousness, the diversity of brain signals is not better just higher than for people who are awake. And that is because the signals are not integrated, making brain activity less predictable.
“The present study’s findings help us understand what happens in people’s brains when they experience an expansion of their consciousness under psychedelics. People often say they experience insight under these drugs – and when this occurs in a therapeutic context, it can predict positive outcomes. The present findings may help us understand how this can happen,” says Dr Robin Cahart-Harris of Imperial College London, involved in the study.
And looking at the three drugs, their effects, even though they have different pharmacological make up, are similar, the research shows.
Neuroscientists are saying that there is need for further research into the impact of psychedelic drugs and there are some that argue that they could be used as a way of treating not only depression but also post-traumatic stress disorder.
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