Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
January 1, 2024
Lisa X Luan, Emma Eckernäs, Michael Ashton et al.
41 citations
A novel method of administering the psychedelic DMT via a bolus injection followed by a constant-rate infusion safely extends the experience to 30 minutes in a stable and tolerable fashion. In eleven healthy volunteers, subjective effects plateaued into a steady state while plasma DMT concentrations continued to rise, indicating acute psychological tolerance. Anxiety ratings remained low and heart rate habituated within 15 minutes, demonstrating psychological and physiological safety. This continuous intravenous administration method lays groundwork for further basic and clinical research into DMT's potential for treating mental health conditions and studying consciousness.
Neuroscience of consciousness
January 1, 2025
Christopher Timmermann, James W Sanders, David Reydellet et al.
19 citations
The psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT can, in its most extreme cases, produce a complete absence of self-experience and other perceptual content while preserving a quality of aroused, waking awareness. In an exploratory observational study in naturalistic ceremonial settings, micro-phenomenological interviews, questionnaires, and EEG recordings revealed a dynamic progression of effects, including variable disruptions of bodily and narrative self, reduced phenomenal distinctions, and visual imagery. EEG showed global alpha and posterior beta power reductions, suggesting inhibition of top-down brain models. The findings indicate 5-MeO-DMT's potential as a pharmacological model for deconstructed consciousness, though retrospective questionnaires have limitations.
International review of neurobiology
January 1, 2025
Kate Godfrey, Lisa X Luan, Christopher Timmermann
1 citation
Classic psychedelics like LSD, psilocybin, ayahuasca, and DMT consistently reduce alpha power (8-13 Hz) in occipital regions, as measured by resting-state EEG and MEG. Below 30 Hz, desynchronization is typical, though DMT can preserve or increase delta/theta activity. Measures of signal diversity, such as Lempel-Ziv complexity, reliably increase during psychedelic states, indicating more variable neural firing. Real-time subjective intensity and plasma levels robustly covary with spectral and complexity changes, suggesting potential for real-time EEG biomarkers. Limited research on functional connectivity and cortical travelling waves hints at decreased top-down control and increased bottom-up signaling, a possible transient reversal of hierarchical organization, but replications are needed. EEG has yet to be evaluated in clinical studies.