Pubdate: Mon, 20 Nov 2006
Source: Mcgill Daily, The (CN QU Edu)
Copyright: 2006 The Mcgill Daily
Contact:  http://www.mcgilldaily.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2638
Author: Rose Aiello, Science and Technology Writer

TRIPPING OUT ON CLINICAL TRIALS

Erika Dyck Illuminates the History of LSD Research in Canada and Why 
It's Making a Come-Back

Once upon a time in the early 1950's, before the youth 
counter-culture of the 60's, before the world knew Timothy Leary, and 
before the CIA funded experiments here in Montreal, there was a small 
Canadian prairie town that remained unaware of the excitement and 
scientific intrigue that awaited it.

Somewhere else in the world, psychiatrists were searching for a way 
to understand the mentally ill and the nascent field of 
psychoparmacology seemed to offer them a new perspective. This is how 
the then innocent drug lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), found its 
way into the unsuspecting town of Weyburn, Saskatchewan.

Last Wednesday, professors, students, and community members sat 
around Dr. Erika Dyck, expert in psychedelic psychiatry and associate 
professor in history of medicine at the University of Alberta, as she 
told us the story of LSD's clinical trials, in particular, about 
those in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, and the biology, psychology, and 
controversy that surrounded them.

Shortly after World War II, English psychiatrist Humphrey Osmond 
began studying the potential use of psychedelic drugs in psychiatry. 
He found that these drugs antagonized adrenaline receptors, inducing 
a temporary psychosis, perhaps even a model psychosis. According to 
Dyck, Osmond was amazed at the drugs' ability to "suspend his sense 
of logic and comfort" by altering his perception of reality. If we 
accept schizophrenia as a distortion of perception, then experiencing 
drug-induced psychosis could allow psychiatrists great insight into 
mental illness.

"A doctor often wishes he could enter the illness and see with the 
madman's eyes, hear with his ears, and feel with his skin," explained 
Osmond at the time. "This may seem an unlikely privilege but it is 
available to anyone who is prepared to take a minute amount of lysergic acid."

Meanwhile, on another continent, a psychiatrist in Saskatchewan, 
Abram Hoffer, was examining LSD's biochemical effects. He discovered 
that the LSD molecule contains nicotinic acid.

"[Nicotinic acid] blocks the metabolism of certain enzymes appearing 
to cause changes in perception, changes in effect, and changes in 
thinking," Hoffer explained at the time.

By controlling the levels of this blocking agent, Hoffer controlled 
these psychosis-like symptoms. These studies eventually lead him to 
propose treating schizophrenic patients with nicotinic acid, commonly 
known as niacin or vitamin B3.

In 1951, Osmond moved to Weyburn where he united with Hoffer. Osmond, 
Hoffer, and other researchers performed many home trials, 
experimenting with LSD, carefully recording their personal 
experiences and those of their close friends and spouses. These 
trials allowed the researchers to examine the effects of different 
doses of LSD.

Osmond and Hoffer then extended the trials to the surrounding Weyburn 
community and found an "overwhelming number of willing participants," 
said Dyck. The research transcripts and first-hand participant 
reports showed some consistent effects from LSD: unjustifiable 
laughter, visual distortions, loss of social control, fear, and 
paranoia. The researchers then compared these reports with 
autobiographical accounts from institutionalized schizophrenics and 
simultaneously extended the LSD trials to "recovered" schizophrenic patients.

According to Dyck, Osmond and Hoffer concluded that the experiences 
of induced schizophrenia and actual schizophrenia were more or less 
interchangeable. Several recovered schizophrenic subjects reported 
that the LSD experiments allowed them to reflect objectively on their 
past psychosis and had a therapeutic effect.

Based on this evidence, Hoffer and Osmond had high hopes for the 
future of psychedelic psychiatry. When the researchers sought support 
from their colleages, however, the pair eventually realized the 
professional isolation of Weyburn. Ultimately, the conservatism in 
the medical community prevented their success. Similar trials by 
other researchers failed to duplicate their results, casting doubt on 
their conclusions.

"Concern for the recreational use of LSD overwhelmed its potential 
medical application," said Dyck, adding that the criminalization of 
LSD terminated further research.

Nonetheless, the Weyburn experiments sparked the interest of 
researchers around the globe and left a lasting mark on the field of 
psychopharmacology. These experiments provided invaluable information 
that is still cited in research today. Dyck also mentioned a 
resurgent interest in psychedelic psychiatry. At least four research 
units are currently studying the medical applications of LSD. Few 
seats were empty at Dyck's lecture: at least we know that, despite 
the years past, the clinical trials of LSD hold a firm grasp on 
Dyck's curiosity, and ours.
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MAP posted-by: Elaine