Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Sweden Experimenting With Rats on LSD to Cure Depression, Addiction

Sweden Experimenting With Rats on LSD to Cure Depression, Addiction

Psychedelic drugs were widely studied in the post-war decades. However, as those studies were largely sub-par in terms of contemporary standards, interest in this topic waned amid a 'war on drugs' launched by the authorities. Of late, the perception of psychedelic drugs has been re-evaluated, and research is now underway on their medical use.

At Lund University, Sweden, a research team is studying how the rats' brains are affected by LSD – in a bid to draw conclusions that would allow them to cure or alleviate depression and addiction in humans.

The rodents were operated upon and hair-thin electrodes were placed in their brains. This allowed the researchers to measure what happens when they are fed LSD.

“It's a little strange because these substances are among the most powerful we know, but the rats don't seem to be that affected. In any case, you do not see any clear behaviour that changes, but what happens in their consciousness we do not know at all,” Lund University neurophysiologist Pär Halje told national broadcaster SVT.

Previous research has suggested that various psychedelic drugs such as LSD and psilocybin can have a positive effect on the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and various addictions. The goal of the study is to provide more solid scientific support for the therapeutic use of psychedelic drugs.

“The theory behind it is that psychedelic substances re-furnish the connections between the nerve cells and increase the brain's ability to rebuild itself”, Halje said in an earlier interview.

So far, researchers in Lund established that rats get “quieter” brain cells whereas the electrical impulses in the brain increase.

“We don't know why the rats' brains are affected in this way or what it means for the therapeutic effect. Once you understand the mechanisms behind it, you may be able to develop other similar molecules that don't provide the effect of 'tripping'. Then you have to understand the mechanisms better and that is what we are trying to accomplish,” Pär Halje explained.

According to Pär Halje, the rats are put to sleep when the electrodes are operated on and they don't feel any pain from the electrodes because they lack pain receptors in the brain. According to the rules regarding ethics, the rats mustn't be left alone for more than 24 hours during an experiment, because they are social animals.

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was first produced by Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann in 1938, who expected the substance to act as an analeptic (a drug that stimulates breathing and blood circulation, to be administered in case of poisoning). It was widely studied from the 1950s to the 1970s to evaluate behavioural and personality changes, as well as to achieve remission of psychiatric symptoms in various disorders, as part of the rational design of psychedelic drugs championed by chemists such as Alexander Shulgin. However, those studies were not performed in accordance with contemporary standards, and general scientific interest in this field declined amid the US-initiated war on drugs. The resurgence of interest in LSD research and its therapeutic potential for psychiatry has taken several decades.

As of now, research into the medicinal use of psychedelic drugs is underway in the UK, Switzerland and the US.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×