Nuclear Spin Modulation of Psychedelic Consciousness States: A Factorial fMRI Protocol Combining N,N-DMT with Krypton and Xenon Isotopes

A proposed 2 × 2 factorial protocol crosses isotopes of two noble gases with DMT (a psychedelic) under simultaneous EEG-fMRI to dissociate nuclear spin from anesthetic action. The four gas conditions are 84Kr (spin 0, non-anesthetic), 83Kr (spin 9/2, non-anesthetic), 132Xe (spin 0, sub-anesthetic), and 129Xe (spin 1/2, sub-anesthetic). Each is combined with DMT or placebo, yielding eight sessions per subject. The protocol uses intra-element comparisons to eliminate solubility biases. The primary endpoint is Global Functional Connectivity. Predictions: 83Kr will amplify DMT signatures relative to 84Kr; 132Xe will attenuate them; 129Xe will attenuate less than 132Xe due to spin-mediated neuroprotection.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The discovery that xenon isotopes with non-zero nuclear spin are ∼30% less po-tent as anesthetics than spin-zero isotopes (Li et al., 2018) established a link betweenquantum spin and consciousness. Independently, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)induces profoundly altered conscious states characterized by global hyperconnec-tivity and apparent “channel switching” (Timmermann et al., 2023; Gallimore,2019). We propose a 2 × 2 factorial protocol that dissociates two variables—nuclearspin and anesthetic action—by crossing isotopes of two noble gases with DMTunder simultaneous EEG-fMRI. The four gas conditions are: (i) 84 Kr (spin 0, non-anesthetic; baseline control), (ii) 83 Kr (spin 9/2, non-anesthetic; pure spin ampli-fier), (iii) 132 Xe (spin 0, sub-anesthetic; pure sedation), and (iv) 129 Xe (spin 1/2,sub-anesthetic; spin + sedation). Each condition is combined with either DMT orsaline placebo, yielding eight sessions per subject. To eliminate confounding bi-ases related to differential membrane solubility between the gases, the irrefutablestrength of this protocol relies on perfectly blinded intra-element comparisons. De-signed as a pre-registered report, this study utilizes a Linear Mixed-Effects (LME)model and pre-specifies Global Functional Connectivity (GFC) as the primary end-point. We predict that 83 Kr will amplify DMT neuroimaging signatures relative to84 Kr, that 132 Xe will attenuate them, and that 129 Xe will attenuate less than 132 Xedue to spin-mediated neuroprotection.