bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
October 14, 2025
Nicholas Kolbman, Amanda Nelson, Rachel Summerfield et al.
1 citation
preprint
Psilocybin and DMT, two serotonergic psychedelics, delay the onset of slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, and cause a short-lasting increase in wakefulness and decrease in slow-wave sleep in rats. Psilocybin also reduces REM sleep, decreases theta power and coherence, and increases high gamma power and coherence during wake and slow-wave sleep, as well as increasing high gamma coherence during REM sleep. DMT increases gamma coherence only during wakefulness. The enhanced high gamma functional connectivity suggests that psychedelic-induced changes in neural dynamics can occur independently of arousal states.
Journal of Neuroscience
December 19, 2025
Nicolas G. Glynos, Emma R. Huels, Trent Groenhout et al.
In rats, intravenous DMT causes dose-dependent increases in serotonin and dopamine in the medial prefrontal and somatosensory cortices, along with distinct changes in brain wave patterns: reduced theta and low gamma power, increased delta, medium gamma, and high gamma power, and altered functional connectivity. Head twitch responses were most frequent at the lowest dose. Endogenous DMT was detected in the cortex of most animals at baseline, suggesting it may be naturally present. The work provides a detailed neurochemical and neurophysiological profile of DMT action in rats.
Physiology
May 1, 2024
Rachel Summerfield, Trent Groenhout, Tiecheng Liu et al.
Intravenous DMT, a psychedelic, increases wakefulness and reduces slow-wave sleep in rats during the first three hours after administration, with a delay in the onset of rapid eye movement sleep. Low (3.75 mg/kg) and high (7.5 mg/kg) doses both produced these effects, while time spent in REM sleep during the light period was unaffected. The findings align with previous reports on serotonergic psychedelics and wakefulness.