Pharmahuasca and DMT Rescue ROS Production and Differentially Expressed Genes Observed after Predator and Psychosocial Stress: Relevance to Human PTSD.
ACS Chemical Neuroscience January 6, 2022 D. Kelley, Katy Venable, Aspasia Destouni et al. 41 citations
Comparing gene expression in the prefrontal cortex of a rat stress model and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of humans with PTSD reveals 20 overlapping differentially expressed genes, 85% of which change in the same direction. The psychedelic compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), alone or combined with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor harmaline (pharmahuasca), reduces reactive oxygen species production in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus and normalizes expression of genes involved in oxidative stress, inflammation, growth factor signaling, neurotransmission, and neuroplasticity. Harmaline alone has mixed effects on reactive oxygen species.