Lsd

Lsd

Table of Contents Introduction Table 1:Effects of LSD A Brief Foray Into Philosophy and the Cognitive Sciences The Suspects Figure 1: Structure of LSD Overview of Synaptic Transmission Theory: LSD Pre-synaptically Inhibits 5-HT Neurons Theory: LSD Post-synaptically Antagonizes 5-HT2 Receptors Figure 2: LSD Binding at 5-HT2 Receptor Theory: LSD Post-synaptically Partially Agonizes 5-HT2 Receptors Theory: LSD Post-synaptically Agonizes 5-HT1 Receptors Conclusion References Introduction The psychedelic effects of d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide-25 (LSD) were discovered by Dr. Albert Hoffman by accident in 1938. In the 1950s and 1960s, LSD was used by psychiatrists for analytic psychotherapy. It was thought that the administration of LSD could aid the patient in releasing repressed material. It was also suggested that psychiatrists themselves might develop more insight into the pathology of a diseased mind through self experimentation. 1,2 During the late 60s, LSD became popular as a recreational drug. While it has been suggested that recreational use of the drug has dropped, a recent report on CNN claimed that 4.4% of 8th graders have tried it. LSD is considered to be one of, if not the, most potent hallucinogenic drug known. Small doses of LSD (1/2 - 2 ug/kg body weight) result in a number of system wide effects that could be classified into somatic, psychological, cognitive, and perceptual categories. These effects can last between 5 and 14 hours. Table 1: Effects of LSD 1, 2, 3 Somatic Psychological Cognitive Perceptual mydriasis hallucinations disturbed thought...

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