A Really Good Day: How Microdosing Made a Mega Difference in My Mood, My Marriage, and My Life

by Ayelet Waldman

I turned to a psychopharmacologist to find out what is going on in my brain when I consume the microdose. He told me that LSD is an agonist, a stimulator, of the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor. Antidepressants also act on 5-HT receptors, including 5-HT2A, but they work by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, causing it to remain in synapses longer. Because serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters thought to be most closely linked with feelings of well-being and happiness, the theory behind SSRIs is that having serotonin sit around longer, with your synapses marinating in it, makes you feel better. By contrast, when a psychedelic drug stimulates 5-HT2A receptors, that leads to the stimulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which my psychopharmacologist friend described as “like Miracle-Gro for your brain. It stimulates growth, connections, and activity.” A psychiatric researcher described the neurological effects of LSD to me this way: “By activating the 5-HT2A receptor, you increase the transmission of glutamate.” Glutamate is the neurotransmitter most responsible for brain functions like cognition, learning, and memory. Though they’re talking about two different substances in the brain, the two doctors are essentially saying the same thing. BDNF and glutamate are interrelated. Psychedelics enhance neuroplasticity, the ability of the brain to grow and change, by increasing the level of BDNF in the brain and by increasing glutamate activity.

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