Researchers at the Imperial College of London have for the first time mapped the effects of LSD on the brain using fMRI and other scans while patients were under the influence of the drug. The images show the remarkable neurological activity produced by the powerful psychoactive during a “trip,” indicating users “see” with their eyes closed.
The team of scientists, in collaboration with the Beckley Foundation, took brain scans of 20 volunteers who were administered 75 micrograms of LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). A control group was given a placebo. The images enabled researchers to look at electrical activity and blood flow throughout the entire brain.