How LSD affects language

[Forestluv]

The research cited below examined the ability of participants on LSD to name objects with language. The response time of the LSD group was unaltered, yet they made significantly more errors. Interestingly, they used similar words within a word family (e.g. calling a car a bus). The researchers attribute this to enhanced semantic processing under LSD.

Semantic processing is the processing that occurs after we hear a word and encode its meaning. Semantic processing causes us to relate the word we just heard to other words with similar meanings. Once a word is perceived, it is placed in a context mentally that allows for a deeper processing. Semantic processing is the deepest level of processing and it requires the listener to think about the meaning of the cue. Generally, people operate at a shallow level of processing. Psychedelics enhance the deeper semantic processing.

The results from this experiment can lead to a better understanding of the neurobiological basis of semantic network activation. Neiloufar Family explains further implication: “These findings are relevant for the renewed exploration of psychedelic psychotherapy, which are being developed for depression and other mental illnesses. The effects of LSD on language can result in a cascade of associations that allow quicker access to far away concepts stored in the mind.”

The many potential uses of this class of substances are under scientific debate. “Inducing a hyper-associative state may have implications for the enhancement of creativity,” Family adds. The increase in activation of semantic networks can lead distant or even subconscious thoughts and concepts to come to the surface.

http://neurosciencenews.com/language-lsd-neuroscience-4883/