Microdosing LSD shows some cognitive benefits — but only for women Different effects of low-dose psychedelics on sustained attention in women and men deserve further investigation. By Gemma Conroy

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03265-y?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=b691f2a608-nature-briefing-daily-20261020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50432164 Chart showing the results of assessing the effects of the psychedelic drug LSD on cognitive function in a group of healthy participants: 24 women and 24 men. The drug significantly decreased the number of attention lapses that women experienced during a 10-minute task — an effect that wasn’t seen in men. Tiny doses of the psychedelic drug LSD seem to boost some elements of cognition — but only in women. In a small trial, women who took 15 micrograms of the drug focused for longer periods and responded faster to a stimulus than did those who were given a placebo. This trial alone can’t confirm that LSD was behind these benefits, but the signal “warrants further investigation”, says psychopharmacologist Mikkel Højlund.