Scientists peddle crowdfunded LSD dream

Scientists are turning to crowdfunding to complete the first scientific study ever to image the brain of someone "tripping" on the psychedelic drug LSD.

The study, part of a project the scientists say could revolutionise understanding of the human brain, is led by neuroscientists at Imperial College, London, who now need $38000 to finish their work.

When they do, the research will produce the world's first images of the human brain on LSD and will begin to reveal the way the drug can work to heal illnesses such as depression and anxiety, the scientists said.

"Despite the incredible potential of this drug to further our understanding of the brain, political stigma has silenced research," said David Nutt, a psychiatrist and professor of psychopharmacology at Imperial College London.

He accused funders and governments of "playing politics with promising science that has so much potential for good".

LSD is one of the most potent known psychoactive drugs and was used in the 1950s and 1960s as an aid to psychotherapy for various psychiatric illnesses.

But it was later banned, and under the 1971 UN Convention on Psychotropic Substances is now illegal almost everywhere. This makes it difficult for scientists to research its effects on humans.

People who use psychedelic drugs often describe experiencing vivid, dreamlike states.

Nutt previously conducted studies with psilocybin and found it suppresses activity in areas of the brain that play a constraining role.

Nutt's team said they expected to find that LSD's effects were similar to those of psilocybin, but more longer-lasting.