Psychology & Behavioral Science Active Updated Jul 29, 2026
A single dose of LSD sharpens motor skill learning in healthy adults
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial gave healthy adults a single dose of LSD and found it improved learning and retention of a typing task for up to a week afterward, alongside changes in BDNF, a hormone tied to brain plasticity. The stakes are whether a psychedelic can open a real window of heightened plasticity useful for skill learning, not just mood.
The story so far
-
Jul 29, 2026 Latest
A University of Fribourg team running the LSD motor-learning trial as a randomized, double-blind crossover study in 45 volunteers aged 21 to 55 reported lower perceived stress lasting up to a week after dosing, plus lingering shifts in how the brain processes sound and muscle-control signals.
-
Jul 26, 2026
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 45 healthy adults, a single 100-microgram dose of LSD produced measurable improvements in learning and retention of a typing task that outlasted the drug itself, tracked for up to a week, alongside changes in blood BDNF levels.
This story moves with the morning letter.
When this arc advances, the timeline above grows the same morning. One short, warm letter with the day's real progress in science, medicine and beyond. Free, every day.
Free forever, no spam. One click to unsubscribe, and we never sell your email.