LSD Could Help Fight Depression By Inhibiting “Mental Time Travel”

The Brain





Photo credit:

LSD has been shown to decrease activity in the brain's default-mode network, which controls our tendency to dwell on the past. agsandrew/Shutterstock

Taking lysergic acid diethylamide – better known as LSD – could help people who suffer from depression to overcome their condition by preventing them from “ruminating” on past experiences. Several studies have shown that low mood is often associated with a tendency to dwell on one’s own history, yet new research indicates that LSD may inhibit the brain network that mediates this type of “mental time travel.”