Dimethyltryptamine levels in blood of schizophrenic patients and control subjects
B. Angrist, S. Gershon, G. Sathananthan, R. W. Walker, B. Lopez-Ramos, L. R. Mandel, W. J. A. Vandenheuvel
Psychopharmacology January 1, 1976 DOI: 10.1007/bf00428697 via Springer Nature
Summary
A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method measured N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in whole blood with a detection limit of 0.05 ng/ml. Mean DMT levels appeared higher in the total group of schizophrenic patients, particularly those with acute psychosis, female patients, and patients scoring 4 or higher on the suspiciousness item of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, but none of these differences reached statistical significance.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Normal controls and schizophrenic patients |
| Topics | DMT |
| Keywords | Blood levels Schizophrenia Assay |
| Citations | 44 |
| Key finding | Mean DMT levels were not statistically significantly different between schizophrenic patients and controls, despite apparent elevations in certain subgroups. |
Abstract
A gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric determination of blood N,N-dimethyltryptamine in normal controls and schizophrenic patients was carried out with a sensitivity limit of 0.05 ng/ml whole blood. Although the results appear to suggest that the mean DMT level was higher in the total patient group, those patients with acute psychosis, female patients and patients with suspiciousness scores on the BPRS of 4 or over, the differences were not statistically significant.