Grant: Project Grant

Social behavior (SB) is a fundamental characteristic of human behavior and interaction. Several psychiatric diseases, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD), are accompanied by significant SB impairments. Several studies suggest that the psychedelic compound lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) may enhance SB in animals and humans via modulation of the serotonin and glutamate system, two major neurotransmitter systems. Moreover, increasing evidence suggests that LSD might enhance neuroplasticity (the growth of new neurons), and have antinflammatory effects (decrease over-activity of the immune system), and given that these processes are altered in conditions with impaired SB, these effects might also be involved in the prosocial effects of LSD The main hypothesis of this translational study is that LSD enhances SB via a) potentiating serotonin and glutamate neurotransmission in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and b) enhancing neuroplasticity and immune balance. We will reach our objectives firstly via studying LSD prosocial effects in rodents, and the effects of LSD on neurotransmission, neuroplasticity, and immune system balance. Secondly, we will determine whether the results obtained in rodents translate to humans, by administering LSD to healthy volunteers, and assessing resulting changes on SB, neurotransmission, mPFC function, neuroplasticity, and immune balance. This represents the first translational, proof-of-concept Canadian study investigating whether psychedelic compounds are useful for the treatment of psychiatric disorders accompanied by SB dysfunction.