Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-dfsvx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T03:26:33.943Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Psychophysiological Investigations in Experimental Psychoses: Results of the Exhibition of D-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide to Psychiatric Patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2018

Bruce Sloane  and
John W. Lovett Doust
Bruce Sloane
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, University of London
John W. Lovett Doust
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital and Institute of Psychiatry, University of London
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

D-Lysergic acid diethylamide (L.S.D.-25) was first prepared by Stoll and Hoffmann in 1938 (35) as a derivative of rye ergot. Its profound effects in minute doses were discovered accidentally by Hoffmann and reported by Stoll (34) along with additional observations by the latter on 16 healthy controls and six schizophrenic patients. With a dose of 30–130 γ (0.03–0.13 mgm.) Stoll (34) noted motor inco-ordination, disturbances of visual perception with illusions and hallucinations, clouding of consciousness, and affective changes principally in the direction of euphoria and distractibility. Subsequent clinical reports have confirmed these findings (6, 38). Becker (1) using doses of 30–40 γ in healthy controls attempted to predict the quality of the resulting psychosis from the constitutional somatotype of the subject; he contrasted maniacal hyperkinetic states with those showing inhibition and depersonalization and drew attention to the pattern of the visual perceptual disturbances, which were principally those of differences in size, clarity and perspective. Becker's attempts at somatotypological correlation were less successful than those of Condreau (4) who used mentally ill patients as well as healthy subjects and found that L.S.D.-25 did tend to reinforce pre-existing personality characteristics, especially with regard to mood changes. Rinkel and others (30, 7) with doses of 20–90 γ in mixed healthy and psychiatrically disturbed populations stressed the scotopic nature of the hallucinations and the greater frequency of illusions of rippling or wavy lines evolving at times into geometrical designs. Affective blunting with a lack of spontaneity was commoner than the production of major delusions. In epilepsy apparently visual hallucinations are more frequently concomitants of L.S.D.-25 administration than in other mental disorders (31).

Type
Part I.—Original Articles
Information
Journal of Mental Science , Volume 100 , Issue 418 , January 1954 , pp. 129 - 144
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1954 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

List of References

1. Becker, A. M., “Zur Psychopathologie der Lysergsäure-Diäthylamid Wirkung,” Wien. Z. Nervenh., 1949, 2, 402.Google Scholar
2. Busch, A. K., and Johnson, W. C., “L.S.D.-25 as an Aid in Psychotherapy: Preliminary Report of a New Drug,” Dis. Nerv. Syst., 1950, 11, 241.Google Scholar
3. Cameron, D. E., “Studies in Depression,” J. Ment. Sci., 1936, 82, 148.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4. Condreau, G., “Klinische Erfahrungen an Geisteskranken mit Lysergsäure-Diäthylamid,” Acta Psych. Neurol. Scand., 1949, 24, 9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Davies, O. L., and Pearson, E. S., “Methods of Estimating from Samples the Population Standard Deviation,” J. roy. Statist. Soc. Suppl., 1934, 1, 76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
6. De Giacomo, U., “Données biologiques sur l'action psychopharmacologique de la diethylamide de l'acide lysergique,” paper read at the symposium on “Chimie cérébrale” of the International Congress of Psychiatry, Paris, 18–27 Sept., 1950.Google Scholar
7. De Shon, H. J., Rinkel, M., and Soloman, H. C., “Mental Changes Experimentally Produced by L.S.D.,” Psychiat. Quart., 1952, 26, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8. Finesinger, J. E., “The Spirogram in Certain Psychiatric Disorders,” Amer. J. Psychiat., 1943, 100, 159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9. Fischer, R., Georgi, R., and Weber, R., “Psychophysische Korrelationen. VIII. Modellversuch zum Schizophrenieproblem Lysergsäure-Diäthylamid und Mezcalin,” Schweiz. Med. Wschr., 1951, 81, 817.Google Scholar
10. Forrer, G. R., and Goldner, R. D., “Experimental Physiological Studies with Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (L.S.D.-25),” Arch. Neurol. Psychiat., 1951, 65, 581.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11. Guilford, J. P., and Braly, K. W., “An Experimental Test of McDougall's Theory of Extraversion-Introversion,” J. abnorm. soc. Psychol., 1931, 25, 382.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12. Hines, E. A., and Brown, G. E., “The Cold Pressor Test for Measuring the Reactability of the Blood Pressure: Data Concerning 571 Normal and Hypersensitive Subjects,” Amer. Heart J., 1936, 11, 1.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13. Hoch, P. H., Cattell, J. P., and Pennes, H. H., “Effects of Mescaline and Lysergic Acid (d-L.S.D.-25),” Amer. J. Psychiat., 1952, 108, 579.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14. Jaensch, E. R., Eidetic Imagery and Typological Methods of Investigation. New York: Harcourt, Brace & Co., 1930.Google Scholar
15. Jung, C. G., “The Association Method,” Amer. J. Psychol., 1910, 21, 219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16. Lord, E., “The Use of Range in Place of Standard Deviation in the t-Test,” Biometrika, 1947, 34, 41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17. Lovett Doust, J. W., “Studies on the Physiology of Awareness: Oximetric Evidence of the Role of Anoxia in Certain Psychiatric States,” Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 1951, 44, 347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18. Idem , “Differential Tissue and Organ Anoxia in Disease: The Measurement of the Periarticular Oxygen Saturation Levels in Patients with Arthritis,” Ann. Rheumat. Dis., 1951, 10, 369.Google Scholar
19. Idem , “Spectroscopic and Photo-electric Oximetry in Schizophrenia and other Psychiatric States,” J. Ment. Sci., 1952, 98, 143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20. Idem and Leigh, D., “Studies on the Physiology of Awareness: The Inter-relationship of Emotions, Life Situations and Anoxemia in Patients with Bronchial Asthma,” Psychosomat. Med., 1953, 15, 292.Google Scholar
21. Idem and Schneider, R. A., “Studies on the Physiology of Awareness: The Differential Influence of Olfactory Stimulation and Affect on Arterial Oxygen Saturation,” Proc. Ann. Meet. Amer. Fed. Clin. Res., 1952, May.Google Scholar
22. I idem , “Studies on the Physiology of Awareness: The Use of a Controlled Psychological Stress Test in the Oximetric Evaluation of the Response of Psychiatric Patients to Stress,” J. Personal. (to appear) Google Scholar
23. Malmo, R. B., and Shagass, C., “Studies of Blood Pressure in Psychiatric Patients under Stress,” Psychosomat. Med., 1952, 14, 82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24. Matefi, L., Dissertation, Basle, 1951.Google Scholar
25. Mayer-Gross, W., McAdam, W., and Walker, J. W., “Psychological and Biochemical Effects of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide,” Nature, 1951, 168, 827.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26. Rapaport, D., Diagnostic Psychological Testing. Chicago, Ill.: Year Book Pub. Inc., 1946, 11, 13.Google Scholar
27. Ray, G. B., “The Measurement of the Reduction Time in Blood of the Capillaries of the Skin,” Amer. J. Physiol., 1946, 147, 622.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28. Idem , Johnson, J. R., and Ray, L. H., “The Changes in Reduction Time of Blood after Breath Holding as a Criterion of Physical Fitness,” ibid., 1946, 147, 636.Google Scholar
29. Idem , Ray, L. H., and Johnson, J. R., “Factors Influencing Reduction Time of Blood in the Capillaries of the Skin,” Ibid., 1946, 147, 630.Google ScholarPubMed
30. Rinkel, M., Jackson, H., De Shon, H. J., Hyde, R. W., and Soloman, H. C., “Experimental Schizophrenia-like Symptoms,” Amer. J. Psychiat., 1952, 108, 572.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
31. Rostafinski, M., “Experimentally Produced Hallucinations in Epileptic Patients,” Roczn. Psychjatr. (Pol.), 1950, 38, 109.Google Scholar
32. Saltzman, S. S., and Machover, S., “An Inquiry into Eidetic Imagery with Particular Reference to Visual Hallucinations,” Amer. J. Psychiat., 1952, 108, 740.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
33. Schneider, R. A., and Lovett Doust, J. W., “Studies on the Physiology of Awareness: Differential Influence of Colour on Arterial Oxygen Saturation,” Proc. Ann. Meet. Am. Fed. Clin. Res., 1952, May.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
34. Stoll, W. A., “Lysergsäure-diäthylamid, ein Phantasticum aus der Mutterkorngruppe,” Schweiz. Arch. Neurol. Psychiat., 1947, 60, 1.Google Scholar
35. Idem and Hoffman, A., “Partialsynthese von Alkaloiden von Typus des Ergobasins,” Helv. Chem. Acta, 1943, 26, 944.Google Scholar
36. Vierordt, K., “Physiologische spectralanalysen. IX. Die Sauerstoffzehrung der lebenden Gewebe,” Z. Biol., 1878, 14, 422.Google Scholar
37. Wechsler, D., The Measurement of Adult Intelligence. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, Co., 3rd edn., 1944.Google Scholar
38. Wikler, A., “Mechanisms of Action cf Drugs that Modify Personality Function,” Amer. J. Psychiat., 1952, 108, 590.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39. Witt, P. N., “D-Lysergsäure-diethylamid (L.S.D.-25) im Spinnentest,” Experientia, 1951, 7, 310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40. Wittenborn, J. R., “Factorial Equations for Tests of Attention,” Psychometrika, 1943, 8, 19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41. Wolf, S., and Hardy, J. D., “Studies on Pain: Observation on Pain due to Local Cooling and on Factors Involved in the “Cold Pressor Effect,” J. clin. Investig., 1941, 20, 521.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
42. Wolff, H. H., “The Mechanism and Significance of the Cold Pressor Test,” Quart. J. Med., 1951, 20, 261.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.