Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper, published Oct. 7, 2026, re-analyzed millisecond-resolution MEG recordings from 17 volunteers who each received intravenous LSD and a placebo.
- Researchers found alpha rhythms increased by about 2 hertz and beta rhythms by about 5 hertz across large parts of cortex, which revises prior ideas that psychedelics only weaken brain waves.
- The study also reported a flatter broadband background and higher fractal dimension, meaning brain signals became more irregular and showed richer repeating patterns over time.
- A machine-learning model could tell LSD and placebo sessions apart at above-chance accuracy using these features, but reported accuracy varied by feature and aggregation.
- Authors and commentators urged caution because the work reuses an older n=17 dataset, high-frequency measures can be contaminated by muscle artifact, and the study did not test patients or clinical outcomes.