A major study conducted by The Imperial College of London made a number of discoveries about the way LSD affects brain activity. Cutting edge scanning technology revealed what happens in the brain when people experience the visual hallucinations associated with LSD.
Twenty lucky volunteers were administered the drug and then participated in a series of tests and brain scans. The study found that under normal conditions, information from the eyes is processed in a section of the brain called the visual cortex but on LSD, many additional areas of the brain begin contributing to visual processing.
Dr Robin Carhart-Harris who led the research says, “Normally our brain consists of independent networks that perform separate specialised functions, such as vision, movement and hearing – as well as more complex things like attention. However, under LSD the separateness of these networks breaks down and instead you see a more integrated or unified brain.”
This effect is said to be the reason people experience a feeling of heightened awareness and a “sense of reconnection with themselves, others and the natural world.”
Okay – I know its supposedly about a drawing by Julian Lennon but do we really believe that?
Another key finding of the study was a connection between listening to music and more complex hallucinations that occurred even when participant’s eyes were closed. It gets a bit confusing here but the researchers say that when music is playing while someone is on LSD, the visual cortex receives more information from the parahippocampus – an area of the brain associated with mental imagery and personal memory. When music was playing during the study, participants experienced more complex visions which even included past scenes from their own lives.
Senior researcher David Nutt says, “For the first time, we can really see what’s happening in the brain during the psychedelic state, and can better understand why LSD had such a profound impact on self-awareness in users and on music and art. This could have great implications for psychiatry, and helping patients overcome conditions such as depression”
You can read all about the study here.
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