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Direct Comparison of Altered States of Consciousness Induced by LSD and Psilocybin

NCT03604744 · Status: COMPLETED · Phase: EARLY_PHASE1 · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 28

Last updated 2021-04-27

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) and psilocybin (the active substance in "magic mushrooms") are widely used for recreational purposes. Both substances are also increasingly used in psychiatric and psychological research to induce and investigate alterations in waking consciousness and associated brain functions (functional brain imaging, "model psychosis") . However, it has never been studied whether there are differences in the alterations in mind produced by these two substances. Both LSD and psilocybin are thought to induce hallucinations primarily via stimulation of the 5-HT2A receptor. However, there are differences in the receptor activation profiles between the two substances that may also induce different subjective effects. LSD potently stimulates the 5-HT2A receptor but also 5-HT2B/C, 5-HT1 and D1-3 receptors . Psilocin (the active metabolite of the prodrug psilocybin) also stimulates the 5-HT2A receptor but additionally inhibits the 5-HT transporter. In contrast to LSD, psilocybin has no affinity for D2 receptors. Both substances are used in neuroscience as pharmacological tools. However, there are no modern studies comparing these two substances directly within the same clinical study and research subjects and using validated psychometric tools. Therefore, the investigators will compare the acute effects of LSD, psilocybin and placebo.

Conditions

  • Healthy

Interventions

DRUG

LSD

LSD 0.1 mg per os, single dose

DRUG

LSD

LSD 0.2 mg per os, single dose

DRUG

Psilocybin

Psilocybin 15 mg per os, single dose

DRUG

Psilocybin

Psilocybin 30 mg per os, single dose

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Matthias E Liechti, MD, MAS · University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Model
CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age
25 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2019-03-27
Primary Completion
2021-04-10
Completion
2021-04-15

Countries

  • Switzerland

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Entities

Drugs

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT03604744 on ClinicalTrials.gov