Recent research published in journals neuropsychopharmacology Evidence shows that a single dose of the psychedelic drug LSD improves next-day motor learning and reduces perceived stress up to a week later. The study also revealed subtle, long-term changes in the way the brain processes auditory information and controls muscle movements. These findings suggest that LSD may temporarily enhance certain types of learning and psychological flexibility, opening the door to potential therapeutic applications in physical rehabilitation.
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD, is a powerful psychedelic compound known for altering perception and mood. In recent years, this substance has gained attention as a treatment for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Traditional psychiatric treatments often require daily medication, making single-dose treatments very attractive. A single dose of psychedelic drugs tends to produce therapeutic effects that last for several months.
This long-term schedule suggests that the drug may cause permanent physical or functional changes in the brain. Animal models have shown that LSD and similar drugs can induce these changes by promoting neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize neural networks and grow new connections.
Preclinical research suggests that psychedelics may create a temporary window that makes learning more efficient. This window of enhanced learning may be applicable not only to simple conditioning but also to complex social behaviors. However, evidence regarding these lasting effects in humans remains lacking. Past research has primarily focused on the first-hand experience of drugs, rather than what happens in the days following a trip.
Abigail Calder, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Friborg in Switzerland, noticed this discrepancy in the scientific literature. “We were aware of the theory that psychedelics stimulate neuroplasticity, and neuroplasticity is closely related to learning,” Calder says.
“When we were planning our research, a lot of research started on psychedelics and neuroplasticity, but very little on learning,” Calder explained. “I think it’s time to start closing that gap.”
The authors designed an experiment to track human brain activity and behavior after the initial effects of LSD had worn off. They specifically wanted to investigate motor learning, which involves the brain’s ability to acquire and retain new physical skills. Motor learning has important clinical relevance for physical rehabilitation and recovery from brain injury.
The researchers aimed to understand how a single dose of LSD affects the nervous system over a week by measuring sensory processing, motor system excitability, and psychological functioning. The experiment involved a randomized, double-blind, crossover study with 45 healthy participants. Volunteers ranged in age from 21 to 55 years, and data from 43 participants were analyzed.
Each person participated in two separate dosing sessions separated by at least 4 weeks. In one session they received a full dose of 100 micrograms of LSD, and in the other session they received an inert placebo. Participants were told that the placebo could be a very low dose of LSD to help manage expectations.
During the session, the scientific team recorded the brain’s electrical activity using electroencephalography, commonly known as EEG. They measured how the brain responded to a series of auditory sounds through electrodes placed on the scalp. They specifically focused on two types of brain waves, known as the N1 and P2 components.
N1 waves reflect early sensory processing, whereas P2 waves tend to track attentional focus and novelty detection. The researchers also attempted to measure brain plasticity using a technique called sensory hardening. This method involves playing very fast sounds to see if they strengthen the brain’s electrical responses over time.
In addition to EEG, the research team applied transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability of the brain’s motor system. This technique uses a magnetic coil placed against the head to send safe, short pulses to the motor cortex. To test neuroplasticity, the researchers combined these magnetic pulses with gentle, painless electrical shocks to the nerves in participants’ wrists.
These paired pulses cause measurable muscle twitches in the participant’s right thumb. The scientists recorded the magnitude and speed of these twitches to measure how well the motor system reacts under the influence of the drug. They repeated this process at several time points and tracked changes in muscle reactivity over a full week.
To identify chemical markers of brain growth, the researchers took blood samples and measured brain-derived neurotrophic factors. This particular protein supports the survival of existing neurons and promotes the growth of new synapses. Blood was taken before, 8 hours, 1 day, and 1 week after drug intake.
The researchers tested both plasma and serum to ensure they were on the lookout for subtle chemical changes circulating in the body. The day after taking the drug, participants completed a sequence typing task to test motor learning. They used their non-dominant hand to type a string of nine digits on a keyboard as quickly and accurately as possible.
This task measured “online” learning during 10 active practice rounds. We also measured “offline” learning. This refers to the brain’s ability to strengthen and improve skills after a period of rest. Participants took a 10-minute break, then an 80-minute break before being tested again. Finally, participants completed a psychological questionnaire one week after the first dosing session to assess perceived stress levels and cognitive flexibility.
Scientists found that LSD produced measurable changes in both behavior and brain activity. In a motor learning task, participants showed a significant improvement in typing speed one day after taking LSD compared to the placebo condition.
“We found that a single moderate dose of LSD (100 micrograms) improved motor learning in a typing task the next day,” Calder told PsyPost. “LSD was associated with improved retention of learning, which is the learning phase that occurs during rest after practicing a motor skill.”
This improvement specifically occurred during “offline” rest periods rather than during active practice rounds. Participants who took LSD improved their typing speed by about 33% after an 80-minute rest period. The drug had no effect on typing accuracy, indicating that they weren’t simply sacrificing accuracy for speed. “This suggests that psychedelic drugs like LSD may temporarily (albeit quite modestly!) improve the ability to learn new motor movements,” Calder noted.
EEG recordings showed that LSD sharply decreased the size of N1 and P2 brain waves on the day the drug was administered. This reduction suggests that early auditory processing was temporarily disrupted, changing the way the brain allocates attention to external sounds. The decline in P2 EEG persisted the next day and showed signs of persisting up to 1 week later.
However, rapid tone sensory tetanization treatment did not produce the expected signs of brain plasticity in either group. Magnetic stimulation of the motor cortex revealed that signals from the brain to the muscles were faster and louder on the days the participants took LSD. The next day, the size of these muscle responses was reduced compared to the placebo condition.
Calder found these immediate physical reactions particularly interesting. “While people were using LSD (about eight hours after administration), we saw larger and faster muscle movements in response to TMS stimulation of the motor cortex,” Calder said.
“I was especially surprised that they were moving faster than usual,” Calder added. “We still don’t know why this happened or whether it’s useful knowledge, but it was a novel discovery.”
Blood tests showed no changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels at any time during the study. This lack of change may occur because blood levels of this protein do not always accurately reflect protein levels in the brain. In psychological questionnaires, participants reported lower levels of perceived stress one week after the LSD session.
They also scored higher on a subscale measuring the ability to generate alternative solutions to difficult situations, representing an important component of cognitive flexibility. During active drug experiences, side effects were common, but generally mild and temporary, consistent with a typical psychedelic experience.
To interpret these findings, several limitations in the experimental design must be noted. The researchers intended to directly measure long-term changes in neuroplasticity using rapid audio tones and magnetic pulses. These specific measurement techniques failed to produce the expected baseline effects, even when participants received a placebo.
This lack of baseline responses precluded us from ascertaining whether improvements in motor learning were decisively driven by enhanced neuroplasticity. The improvement in motor learning observed the day after taking LSD may be explained by its lasting effects on motivation and attention. If participants felt more engaged or excited the day after their psychedelic experience, they may simply have performed better on the typing task.
“We don’t know how reliable the effect on motor learning is, how long it lasts, or under what precise circumstances it occurs,” Calder cautioned. “We also don’t know if it generalizes to other types of learning. And we can’t really say whether it’s even directly related to neuroplasticity.”
Lest people jump to the wrong conclusions, Calder offered a practical warning about these early results. “So refrain from taking LSD before studying or starting ski lessons,” Calder says.
The scientists also noted that LSD often causes mild muscle tension and tremors at the peak of the drug experience. Because they did not measure resting muscle tone before applying the brain magnetic pulses, they cannot be sure whether the faster muscle twitches were due to changes in the brain or whether the muscles in the hands were simply tense. Additionally, participants accurately guessed when they had ingested a full dose of LSD due to its strong psychoactive effects.
This lack of successful blinding means that participants’ positive expectations toward the psychedelic may have influenced the reduction in stress scores. Future research projects should address these variables by including objective, task-based measures of stress and motivation. Following participants over time will also reveal whether improvements in motor learning and psychological flexibility persist over time.
“First and foremost, it is important to replicate these findings in other samples to ensure they are reliable,” Professor Calder said of future research. “We are also excited to investigate whether LSD’s claimed effects on motor learning generalize to other types of learning (such as learning new emotional patterns in psychotherapy), how long the learning effects last (days? weeks?), and whether other psychedelics also stimulate learning abilities.”
Calder also highlighted the widespread need to improve methodologies in this scientific field. “We also need to improve how we reliably and non-invasively measure neuroplasticity in humans,” Calder says.
The study, “Acute and post-acute neurobehavioral responses to lysergic acid diethylamide in healthy subjects: a randomized controlled study,” was authored by Abigail E. Calder, Vincent J. Diehl, Morten P. Lietz, Parsa Yousefi, Nicole Friedli, Fabio Coviello, Antonin Rouaud, Kristian Beichmann, Anne Eckert, and Gregor Hasler.
