Not just a trip: LSD can improve motor skills

Taking LSD isn’t just about ‘tripping’; it improves motor skills Keystone-SDA

Taking LSD does not merely alter one’s perception of reality and the senses; it also improves motor learning the following day. This has been demonstrated by a study carried out by a team from the University of Fribourg and published on Thursday.

The researchers observed the effects of a single 100-microgram dose of LSD on 43 individuals. The participants were asked to learn a sequence of piano keys, once after taking the substance and once after receiving a placebo.

The benefit of LSD was not evident during the learning phase, but in the subsequent consolidation phase. Eighty minutes after the training session, the progress made by those who had been given the hallucinogen the previous day exceeded that of the others by 32.8%.

“To our knowledge, this is the first controlled study to reveal an improvement in motor learning following the ingestion of a psychedelic substance,” says the study’s lead researcher, Abigail Calder, from the Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Fribourg. The reasons for this effect are not yet clear. Experts have put forward several hypotheses, such as greater brain plasticity following ingestion or changes in attention and motivation.

This finding could be of interest for the rehabilitation of patients who have suffered a stroke or other brain injuries. Motor learning is, in fact, crucial for regaining certain movements.

However, the research team remains very cautious. “Our findings do not constitute a recommendation for clinical use,” Calder points out. It should be noted that the study involved only healthy individuals.

Another effect was reported a week after the experiment. Participants reported a reduction in stress levels and, in some cases, greater mental flexibility. Here too, however, the authors urge caution: the participants knew when they had taken LSD and their expectations may have influenced their assessment.

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Translated from Italian, reviewed by an English Department journalist.