This report will explain the chemistry behind LSD and how it affects the brain, more specifically intricate motor movement. Intricate motor movement is the smaller movements humans do and exhibit constantly. Intricate motor movements are important to society as it is used all the time. This report is being typed, fingers are used to pick things up. Fine motor skills are exhibited on a daily basis. This report will cover the production and reactions involved in the making of LSD. It will also cover the chemical properties of LSD. The way LSD is entered into the bloodstream is also covered. The report will also cover what happens in the brain. It will go through how LSD affects intricate motor movements.


Background

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), is a synthetic psychedelic drug used to induce a hallucinogenic experience, or ‘trip’. It was originally used by Dr. Hoffman as a study in the creation of forms of medicine. This all originated after he was playing around with some chemicals and took them himself. His ride home was described by him as a life altering experience, including his neighbour turning into a witch. The next morning he woke up feeling great, which prompted him to try and create some medicine. LSD is produced through more than one process. One prominent and the original procedure is where ergot alkaloids, are extracted from ergot fungus under a black light, then carefully synthesized into a lysergic acid compound called iso-lysergic acid hydrazide. Once the correct chemical structure is identified (isomerization), and then once more, the remaining LSD is purified, then crystallized.

The functional groups of LSD are the amide group, the secondary amine and the tertiary amine group. The chemical formula for LSD is C20H25N3O. LSD has a solid chemical state. It is colourless, odorless, and it is soluble in water. It has a melting and freezing point of 80-85 degrees celsius. It’s molecular weight is 323.44 grams per mol.

Figure 1: chemical structure of LSD, retrieved from <https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:LSD_structural_formulae_v.1.png>

LSD is mainly used by swallowing a small square cut out of paper, usually with pictures of cartoon characters on it. The paper is dunked into LSD, dried and given out one by one. The paper (otherwise known as a looney toon because of the cartoon characters printed on it) travels down the esophagus and into the stomach. Once there the LSD that coated it is sent to the liver. Once there it is sent out into the bloodstream. LSD can also be inhaled. This happens via the drug passing air sacs in the lungs, and then by being absorbed into the bloodstream. It can also be injected which happens by where the user injects the drug straight into the bloodstream, which means it is the quickest way to get high, but also the most dangerous as it hasn’t gone through the body lungs or digestive system which mean the body is getting the full hit of the dose that the user took.

The chemical then makes its way to serotonin, dopamine, and adrenergic receptor circuits. After this scientists aren’t particularly sure what happens. Some believe it blocks the serotonin receptors creating heightened emotions and changed perception. Whereas some believe it puts the brain into a sense of instability, which then invokes the brain's natural tendency to create patterns when unstable. What is known, through brain scans and other scientific studies, is that a lot happens in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in mood, cognition and perception. The ‘trip’, tends to begin after 20-90 minutes. Within the first 30 minutes, heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature increases. After that images and sounds can be fictionalised in the user's perception. A sense of dizziness and sleeplessness occurs. Appetite is rapidly decreased, which is one of the most dangerous side effects of LSD, as the ‘trips’ can last from 8-12 hours. Increased sweating and also the drying of the mouth can be felt. The most wide false truth in the study of LSD is the belief that there are only good and bad ‘trips’. One effect of LSD is rapid changes of emotions that juxtaposition simultaneously, ie happiness and fear. LSD is one of the least addictive drugs in the world, registering a score of close to zero on the dependence scale. LSD also affects the reward centre of the brain. What drugs with large dependence chains do is they affect this reward centre in a way where they bind to certain receptors. The brain then craves this until it gets it again. Until eventually the effect isn’t what the brain is craving, it’s just the drug.

Discussion

There are a lot of factors that influence movement. When scared a person can become shaky due to the instability of the forebrain and amygdala which can affect the primary motor cortex. When sick a person’s body needs little movement so it can repair itself. LSD affects movement in the same way. LSD affects heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. LSD affects the body’s intricate movements, but not massively. When cold somebody can still write, still cook, do a Rubik’s cube. Heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature can all affect movement, but not heavily. LSD affects the amygdala and the user’s perception of reality. So things like making a sandwich and rubbing a dog can be greatly influenced by the perception and emotions at that time. There isn’t enough evidence to support that LSD can have any big stable effect on a user’s movement, especially intricate movements. The areas of the brain that control intricate movement are the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia, the cerebellum and the motor cortex. The cerebral cortex is in charge of the movement of the muscles. The basal ganglia controls position and voluntary movement. The cerebellum is used for monitoring the muscles during movement. The motor cortex also controls muscles movements. The research into LSD isn’t in depth enough to correctly say what the effect of LSD on the motor cortex is. The observable research shows that there might be small interactions between LSD and fine motor movement, especially when a slight tremor is usually experienced when under the influence of LSD.

Conclusion

In summation, Lysergic acid diethylamide is a synthesised illicit drug originally used for a study of a man trying to make some medicine. It affects the brain via influencing neurotransmitters especially serotonin. It does not affect intricate motor movements steadily and does not cause major damage to the body and is widely considered as the safest illicit drug in the world. It still has side effects such as the drop of appetite, which can last for 8 to 12 hours. So in final summation, drugs are bad, but LSD is the best of the bad.

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