EXPERIMENTAL PHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES WITH LYSERGIC ACID DIETHYLAMIDE (LSD-25)

Abstract

STOLL¹studied the effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25) in both psychotic and normal subjects. Condrau²and others reported their results of administration of lysergic acid diethylamide to various types of subjects and in general confirmed the findings of Stoll. For details of the chemistry of the ergot alkaloids, we refer to a more recent, comprehensive work by Stoll.³It should be mentioned in passing that all lysergic acid alkaloids have lysergic acid as a base. This substance is a multiple, active, polycyclic, nitrogenous carboxylic acid, which so far has not been synthesized. The natural ergot alkaloids containd-lysergic acid and may be divided into two groups— the ergotamine-ergotoxine group, on the one hand, and the ergonovine group, on the other. In the former groupd-lysergic acid is combined with a manifold peptid, whereas the latter group comprises the mono acid amides of thed