The study in Cell examined the molecular structure of LSD and how it would react to brain chemical receptors. LSD is very similar in its chemical makeup to serotonin, which produces pleasure in the brain. Because of this similarity, the brain allows LSD to infiltrate its receptors without much resistance, which is why it is able to have such a powerful effect with such a small amount. This is also what allows the effects of LSD to last so long, as it is able to stay on the serotonin receptors for between 8 to 12 hours at a time. Interestingly enough, this realization might actually have implications for mental health research, as it shows how medications with a similar molecular structure to serotonin have the capacity to be better implemented into the brain.

On top of LSD effects lasting a relatively long time, compared to other types of substances, the effect of the drug itself can make this 8 to 12 hours seem like even longer. This is due to the fact that users of LSD often lose their perception of time, which means that an hour can feel like a day, since they lose the capacity to recognize the relative nature of time.