If you’re a regular reader of the Dutch Smart blogs, you may recall a recent article discussing possible reasons why the powerful psychedelic substance DMT is present in the brains of mammals. New research now shows not only that the substance is indeed present in the brain, but also that the brain itself is capable of synthesizing and releasing dimethyltryptamine. The study was recently published in Scientific Reports.
DMT is regarded worldwide as one of the most potent psychedelic substances in existence. For example, it is the compound in the potent brew Ayahuasca that causes the user to experience a powerful visionary trip. Yopo seeds, also known as Anadenanthera peregrina, also contain DMT. The possibility that the human brain also produces this unique substance is being seriously considered. So far, the studies have only been conducted on rats.
DMT and the pineal gland
The study therefore represents a major breakthrough in global research into the psychedelic substance. "I was initially interested in DMT from the pineal gland because I thought DMT might contribute to melatonin production in the pineal gland, which was my main research topic in the early 2000s," said author Jimo Borjigin, associate professor in the departments of molecular and integrative physiology and neurology at the University of Michigan.
The pineal gland is located in the brain and influences the sleep cycle by secreting melatonin. It helps regulate sleep-wake cycles (circadian rhythms). A few years ago, trace amounts of DMT were detected in the pineal gland and other parts of a rat’s body, but no evidence had previously been found that the substance is actually produced in the brain. That has now been established in the new study, titled “Biosynthesis and Extracellular Concentrations of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in the Mammalian Brain.”
“When I was working on our first DMT paper and the first article on dying brains, I thought that DMT might be one of the neurochemicals associated with near-death experiences. That’s how my interest in DMT has grown since 2013,” the professor continues. During the 2013 studies, Borjigin and her colleagues collected a sample that was analyzed for the presence of DMT. So-called microdialysis tubes were inserted into a rat’s brain via the pineal gland, after which it was indeed found that DMT was present.
Production of DMT
In their latest study, the researchers used a process called in situ hybridization, in which a labeled complementary DNA strand is used to localize a specific RNA sequence in a tissue section. That’s a whole bunch of fancy words strung together, but in short, it means they wanted to find out whether the substance is actually produced by the body, or is merely present.
"Using this technique, we found brain neurons containing the two enzymes needed to make DMT," said Borjigin. But even when the pineal gland was removed, the brain appeared capable of producing DMT in various regions, including the neocortex and the hippocampus. So, what’s the deal?!
"DMT is naturally produced by neurons in the brains of mammals and may contribute to some aspects of higher-order brain functions (such as conscious information processing or learning/memory, etc.), But much experimental research still needs to be done," Borjigin explains in an interview.
Various theories suggest that DMT is produced in the human body when we die. A conclusion from this latest research isn’t far off from that idea. For instance, the researchers discovered that the amount of DMT in the brains of the rats studied increased when the animals went into cardiac arrest.
The function of DMT in the body
And although these are quite remarkable discoveries, much more research is needed to describe its actual function. "We will need to demonstrate that DMT is a neurotransmitter; regulation of DMT synthesis and release will be a hot topic; we need to know whether animals exhibit a detectable deficiency when DMT is blocked; Is DMT dysregulation associated with any human conditions in the absence of endogenous DMT? The relationship between DMT and near-death experiences still requires careful study,” said Borjigin.
"Now that we have confirmed the production of endogenous DMT in the brains of mammals, the progress of our future DMT research will critically depend on the availability of financial support, whether private or public. I hope that publicity like this can help us in this regard." Dutch Smart is, of course, happy to contribute to that!
