Lauded by hippies, music heads and fans of all things psychedelic, acid has been used to blur the boundaries of reality and perception for decades.

Experts have drawn parallels between the dissociative effects caused by the drug on the brain and psychiatric illnesses, with hope it could potentially be explored as a treatment.

Now researchers have shown how the drug affects language and speech, reveal it may even enable users to be more creative.

In the trials, participants took between 40 to 80 micrograms of the drug intravenously, which would be in the same range as the average tab of acid (illustrated). While the LSD was seen to have little effect on reaction time, participants were more likely to mix up language

LSD'S IMPACT ON LANGUAGE Researchers in Germany and the UK carried out trials in which participants were asked to name a number of pictures, either under the influence of acid or taking a placebo. Participants took between 40 to 80 micrograms of the drug intravenously, which would be in the same range as the average tab of acid. Those taking LSD were more likely to make small language mistakes, such as if they were presented with a picture of a car, they may accidentally say another vehicle, such as bus or train, more often. The team believes this indicates the drug acts on the brain’s language processing networks, and may actually speed up semantic processing by strengthening the activation of these brain networks. Advertisement

In a small study carried out by researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany, 10 participants took either the drug or a placebo and carried out tasks.

They were asked to name a number of pictures, either under the influence of acid or taking a placebo.

In the trials, participants took between 40 to 80 micrograms of the drug intravenously, which would be in the same range as the average tab of acid.

While the LSD was seen to have little effect on reaction time in the trials, users taking LSD showed a number of small semantic mistakes, mixing up language and creatively filling in the gaps.

‘Results showed that while LSD does not affect reaction times, people under LSD made more mistakes that were similar in meaning to the pictures they saw,’ explained Dr Neiloufar Family, a researcher at University of Kaiserslautern and first author of the study.

The researchers explain that if the person saw a picture of a car, they may accidentally say another vehicle, such as bus or train, more often under the influence of LSD.

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) (illustrated) is known to produce altered states of consciousness, but researchers have found it may strengthen the activation of brain networks involved in processing language, effectively making users more creative

According to the authors, this indicates the drug acted on the brain’s language processing networks, and may actually speed up semantic processing, by strengthening the activation of brain cell networks involved in language processing.

Writing in the journal Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, they explain: 'The present study suggest that LSD and related psychedelics increase the spread of semantic activation.'

This suggests that when the acid strengthened the activation of the semantic networks the participant was able to use more similarly matched words from the same word grouping.

Many groups believe that the substance's action on activation of brain cells could ultimately lead to treatments in conditions where regions are over, or under active.

‘These findings are relevant for the renewed exploration of psychedelic psychotherapy, which are being developed for depression and other mental illnesses,' added Dr Family.

‘The effects of LSD on language can result in a cascade of associations that allow quicker access to far away concepts stored in the mind.’

HOW LSD AFFECTS THE BRAIN How does LSD affect the brain? Researchers found it caused the visual cortex to receive a flood of information from other regions (stock image) A landmark study earlier this year study revealed that people experiencing drug-induced hallucinations 'see' with many parts of the brain, not just the visual cortex that normally processes information from our eyes. Researchers at Imperial College London found LSD also had the effect of breaking down the barriers separating brain networks that perform functions such as vision, movement and hearing so that they form a more holistic state. This may underlie religious or spiritual feelings of 'connectedness' often reported by users of the drug, the scientists believe. Other results showed that music can have a strange effect on the brain's visual system under the influence of LSD. It caused the visual cortex to receive information from a brain region called the parahippocampus which is associated with mental images and personal memory. The more the parahippocampus communicated with the visual cortex, the more people reported experiencing complex visions, such as scenes from their lives. Advertisement



