UC Davis researchers have stripped down LSD to the base features responsible for its hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects. 

In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers whittled away at LSD’s core multi-ring structure and synthesized new, simplified versions of it to probe its functionality. The researchers successfully developed several compounds with reduced hallucinogenic and cardiotoxic effects while also identifying one compound that produced antipsychotic-like effects.

“By systematically deconstructing LSD, we have identified simplified cores that are better starting points for medicinal chemistry efforts,” said study corresponding author David E. Olson, director of the Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics and a professor of chemistry, and biochemistry and molecular medicine at UC Davis.

LSD is among the many psychedelic drugs that researchers are investigating due to its ability to spur growth of neurons and strengthen connections between them. A host of neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by these connections withering.

“We’ve known the structure of LSD for a long time, but the complexity of its core has really limited our ability to engineer optimized drugs based on its structure,” said Olson. “If you can only modify a couple of spots, you’re limited in what you can do.” 

The study provides the psychedelic science research community with new launchpads for drug discovery.