High hopes

From LSD microdoses to MDMA, New Zealand researchers are exploring the potential of psychedelic drugs to treat mental illness.

- RUSSELL BROWN

Dr Suresh Muthukumaraswamy was quite prepared for his proposed trial of LSD microdosing to show... nothing much.

At the time, five years ago, there was plenty of cultural chatter about the potential benefits of "subperceptual" doses of LSD and other psychedelic drugs. Some Silicon Valley start-ups even ordained "microdosing Fridays" to boost their employees' creativity and intellectual vigour. But there was no robust evidence the effect was real. "It could," he mused back then, "just be homeopathy."

The microdosing trial at the University of Auckland School of Pharmacy, where Muthukumaraswamy is an associate professor, has now published its first academic article (there are seven more to come) in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

So, was it homeopathy? "We can certainly say that microdosing LSD is not homeopathy," he says. "We can be sure of that now."

He adds, "To some extent, the science has borne out the anecdotal wisdom." The journal article reports the trial showed "improved ratings of creativity, connectedness, energy, happiness, irritability and wellness on dose days" for the LSD group. The effects were sufficient to "suggest the potential for microdosing to counteract anhedonic states in clinical populations by restoring enjoyment in creative and social activities". That translates as there was evidence microdosing could help address a key symptom of clinical depression: the inability to enjoy life.