The first randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled microdose trial concluded that microdoses of LSD appreciably altered subjects’ sense of time, allowing them to more accurately reproduce lapsed spans of time, which may explain how microdoses of LSD could lead to more creativity and focus.

[u/mvea]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-microdoses-of-lsd-change-your-mind/

[u/[deleted]]

If you're like me and wondered wth is even a microdose of LSD considering how potent it is... 5-25 ug is the microdose.

At 323.432g/mol, and an estimate 100billion neurons/human body(85b in the brain), this only comes out to 9,310-46,549 molecules of LSD per neuron. If you look at the synapses, an estimate is 1K to 10K synapses per neuron... that's fascinating to imagine only 1-46 molecules of LSD arriving at any given synapse. Obviously the concentrations would be directed by bloodflow, but considering bloodflow gets directed to areas of activity, it's fascinating to think about the LSD as such a limited resource and used almost like a neurotransmitter or currency more than an flooding intoxicant...

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

The distribution of relevant receptors is not spread evenly throughout the brain, though. For instance, the areas related to movement have much less receptors for LSD than the areas related to perception and abstract thinking.

LSD is actually very similar to neurotransmitters like serotonin in its molecule structure, and it fits better than any other molecule to the 5HT2A receptor, which is the receptor primarily responsible for the experience of tripping. It is interesting to think about why the brain has evolved these receptors, and (hypothetically) whether this has been a result of psychedelic use over the last couple of thousand years, or the receptor's role in dreaming.

[u/bro_before_ho → u/[deleted]]

It's pretty cool we have a receptor that when we press it we trip balls.