Vigilance state dissociation induced by 5-MeO-DMT in mice.
Commun Biol January 5, 2026 Benjamin J. B. Bréant, José Prius Mengual, Alexander Andrews et al. 1 citation
Psychedelics like 5-MeO-DMT induce a dissociated brain state that combines features of waking and sleep, rather than a purely psychological change. In freely moving adult male mice, chronic neocortical recordings and pupillometry showed that the drug produces prominent slow oscillations in the cortex and marked pupil dilation while animals remain awake and moving. REM sleep was initially suppressed but overcompensated in the following 48 hours. When given immediately after sleep deprivation, 5-MeO-DMT reduced the subsequent rebound of slow-wave activity. This dissociated state may underlie psychedelic effects such as dream-like hallucinations and reopening of critical periods for plasticity.