LSD and the Artist Since LSD became a popular psychedelic hallucinogen in the 1960s, it has been used as a creativity enhancer by many artists and musicians. The drug itself created a huge wave called the Psychedelic Movement. The psychedelic art movement generally included surrealistic subject matter, fractal patterns, high-contrast colors, and diffraction patterns. These common characteristics of the movement were influenced by the different experiences with LSD or "acid" of many different people. Therefore, scientists were interested in how this substance affects the human brain and how it changes perception creating a different kind of "creativity". Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogenic chemical that has a strong effect on the human brain. It was created by Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann in 1938. The substance is known for its psychedelic effects on the human brain, causing altered thought process, changes in perception, and an altered sense of time and spiritual experiences. In addition to the physiological effects, it was also a famous symbol of the hippie movement in the 1960s and seen as a tool for enhancing the creativity and productivity of some artists. Hallucinogens create an altering effect in the human brain. Classic hallucinogens are known to interact with the neurotransmitter serotonin. The effects of hallucinogens are most often seen in the frontal cortex of the brain, which is also the area involved in controlling mood and cognitive perception. LSD, which is under the title of psychedelic hallucinogenic drugs, creates effects on the mind, state of consciousness and even perception. LSD, when taken, binds to dopamine, adrenal gland and serotonin receptors in the brain. Even though decades have passed since the invention of LSD, its psychedelic effects on the human brain are still not well understood by scientists. However, this is linked to the increasing release of glutamate in the cerebral cortex. A neuroscientist Stuart Sealfon of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York said: "To function, the cortex integrates different signals, for example glutamate signals and serotonin signals and what hallucinogens have to do is interrupt this process so that the senses are perception is altered by them." The main receptor affected by LSD is 5-HT2A, which stands for serotonin 2A-type receptor. The neurotransmitter serotonin controls perception, regulation and behavior systems; and it also plays a role in your happiness level. Scientists argue that 5-HT2A receptors are the receptors that are activated after the use of a hallucinogenic substance and that these substances directly influence serotonin receptors and the postsynaptic activity of serotonin neurons. These receptors can be found everywhere in the central nervous system and circulatory system. In the brain, they are particularly significant in the frontal cortex and visual cortex. Although studies have not yet proven the possible cause of the hallucinogenic effects of LSD, scientists assume that when 5-HT2a receptors are stimulated by the effects of LSD, the activity of glutamate cells in the frontal cortex also increases. Receptors are placed on these cells, and LSD stimulation causes these neurons to fire more often than they normally would, without the stimulant LSD. The effects of the 5-HT2A receptor on glutamate signaling are thought to be responsible for the sensory and perhaps visual system distortion. The brainhuman is responsible for everything we experience, feel, perceive and do. Our brain contains receptors where neurotransmitters act to regulate the human body, senses and perceptions. LSD creates 3 different types of effects on the body: physical, psychological, and sensory. The short-term physical effects of LSD are an increase in heart rate and body temperature; insomnia, sweating, numbness, impulsiveness and emotional changes. As with all long-term effects, LSD can cause visual and mood disturbances, HPPD (hallucinogen persistent perception disorder), paranoia, and can create difficulty connecting your thoughts. LSD causes the person to see, hear and perceive things that do not actually exist or that exist as perceived by humans in real life. The effects of LSD in the human body generally last 12 hours. The psychological effects of LSD, also known as "trip" experiences, vary depending on situations, moods, environments and personalities, and each person experiences a different "trip" depending on their mental state and mood. 'environment. LSD can also create a long-term psycho-emotional effect for those who use it. Some users have stated that LSD has affected their personality and created a different perspective in their life, as one artist in particular stated: "Psychedelics... often reveal, within a few hours, depths of wonder and understanding that might otherwise elude us for a lifetime." According to Timothy Francis Larry, an American psychologist who worked with psychedelic drugs in the 1970s and 1980s, there is a wide range of different effects. He explains this as set and setting, where set stands for the general, normal mental state of the LSD user and setting stands for being under the influence of the drug's effects. A person can experience two feelings at the same time; happy and sad, elated and depressed. . Some of the psychedelic experiences might include experiencing colorful patterns behind closed eyes, an altered sense of time, slowed movements, objects changing shape and the like, and a loss of sense of identity or experiencing an "ego death ” as the user experiences a dissolution. between the real external world and oneself. Therefore, the idea of ​​the "inner journey" leads some people to use LSD for the purpose of finding spirituality and religious aspects. The sensory effects of LSD are more related to perception; such as touching, smelling, or feeling things in a subjective perception. LSD creates an altered sensory experience, depending on tolerance and the dosage ingested. People who are under the influence of LSD begin to mix sensual reality within the senses, they see sounds and hear colors and some senses are enhanced with brighter colors, sharper edges and louder sounds. A high dosage of LSD can cause fundamental distortions in the sensory system and perception. It could affect synesthesia, meaning the person experiences additional dimensions and additional spatial spaces. In addition to the effects of LSD, the substance quickly builds a tolerance in the human body, which causes the user to take higher doses to achieve optimal effects "first time." It has also been seen that there is cross-tolerance between LSD, psilocybin and mescaline. However, tolerance weakens a few days after intake and this is thought to be related to downregulation of 5-HT receptors in the brain. In addition to being taken for a psychedelic drug experience, LSD has also been used in other fields, for medical use. In the 1950s and 1960s, LSD was used in psychedelic therapy, and some scientists believed that LSD would be useful in revealing the patient's subconscious. .Besides that, in the late 1960s, LSD was also used to treat alcoholism. It was also studied by Eric Kast in the 1960s for the management of pain and suffering caused by serious trauma or cancer. It turned out that the users did not feel less pain, however they were more bothered by the existence of pain in their body, which also reduced anxiety. This is perhaps an effect of the increased amount of serotonin in the body. It was a great wonder to several artists, musicians and even scientists whether LSD actually affected a person's creativity. In fact, there are several musical artists associated with LSD and the psychedelic movement. Jazz musician John Coltrane stated that he used LSD for 2 years and this influenced his music between 1965 and 1967. Artist Keith Haring stated that he took LSD when he was young and this encouraged him to draw. He states that drawing on that occasion seeded all the work he had done, created a new aesthetic and a new system of 'creation'. Furthermore, it is assumed that the famous musician Jimi Hendrix was under the influence of LSD when it led him to a certain musical aesthetic, as he described his musical experience as "playing colors". As psychedelic art became popular, the art was also applied to LSD itself. The LSD was placed on a piece of paper that was supposed to be placed on or under the person's tongue. In the early 1970s this piece of paper became a canvas to represent psychedelic art itself. What people are used to seeing in psychedelic paintings, posters or psychedelic images, patterns, colors and geometric shapes have been put on paper. It has become increasingly popular. Mark McCloud was considered a recognized artist for his work on LSD blotters. The psychedelic influence in art was becoming so popular that people gathered in groups and small communities to display art to society. Indeed, USCO (The Us Company), a group created in the 1960s that included a collective of artists, filmmakers, engineers, poets and "creative craftsmen", displayed their acid-inspired exhibitions/artworks in galleries and museums. around the United States of America. Since this movement became popular in a short period of time and was influenced by acid, it attracted the attention of scientists. Therefore, in the 1960s, when the substance was more popular and still legal, psychiatrists such as Humphry Osmond (1952), Sidney Cohen (1960-1964), Sanford Unger (1963), Abram Hoffer, (1965), Walter Pahnke (1969) - 1970) and Stanislav Grof (1980) studied the effects of LSD and other psychedelic substances on perception, cognition, emotion and behavior. Oscar Janiger, a psychiatrist at the University of California Irvine, worked on LSD and its effects on creativity and conducted experiments with approximately 900 people of all classes, races and ages. The 900 people participated in his LSD research and were recorded to come to a conclusion about the characteristics of the LSD experience. He created a standard dose of LSD of 2 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. After taking the substance, the subjects were asked to write a personal story. In addition to this particular research, during one of the tests, an art professor participating in the study created a drawing of a Kachina doll. The artist later realized that the use of LSD had a great influence on his aesthetic and style and suggested inviting other artists to explore this change. Subsequently, Janiger separated his research on a different level: most of Janiger's research was focused on artists and creativity. He worked with seventy artists.