Scientists at the University of Basel in Switzerland have uncovered a previously unknown effect of d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on the human brain. It turned out that the substance affects the process of formation of an emotion important for human survival - fear. Briefly about the work is reported on the EurekAlert! Website.
In their research, neuroscientists have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure the brain activity of 20 healthy people. Before the test, the participants took 100 micrograms of LSD or a placebo. After that, the subjects were shown images of faces expressing fear, anger, joy or neutral emotion for six minutes.
It turned out that the sight of a person experiencing fear in volunteers taking d-lysergic acid diethylamide decreased the response in the amygdala, the region of the brain responsible for the formation of negative and positive emotions. This was unaffected by a change in visual perception that would cause the participants to simply not see facial expressions, as the subjects could correctly identify anger or joy.
Scientists have concluded that the decreased activity of the amygdala is associated with the psychedelic effect of LSD. In other words, the substance can reduce a person's response to hazardous situations.
