Dynamic medial parietal and hippocampal deactivations under DMT relate to sympathetic output and altered sense of time, space, and the self.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology August 12, 2024 Lorenzo Pasquini, Alexander J Simon, Courtney L Gallen et al. 4 citations preprint
The psychedelic DMT rapidly alters consciousness, producing physical transcendence, vivid auditory distortions, and visual imagery. Using simultaneous fMRI and EKG data from 14 healthy volunteers before, during, and after intravenous DMT (versus placebo), a brain substate emerged immediately after injection characterized by deactivations in the hippocampus and medial parietal cortex alongside increased superior temporal lobe activity. Hippocampal and medial parietal deactivations correlated with disruptions in the sense of time, space, and self-referential processes, reflecting a deconstruction of ordinary consciousness. Superior temporal lobe activations correlated with audio/visual hallucinations and the experience of "entities.