This is Your Brain on DMT

Quick DMT Rundown

In his 1997 book, early psychedelic pioneer Alexander Shulgin describes his experience using DMT:

“I was being destroyed—all that was familiar, all reference points, all identity—all viciously shattered in a few seconds,” he wrote. “I couldn’t even mourn the loss—there was no one left to do the mourning. Up, up, out, out, eyes closed, I am at the speed of light, expanding, expanding, expanding, faster and faster until I have become so large that I no longer exist.”

Yeah so that…seems like a lot. Whew.

What is DMT? N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a “classic” psychedelic drug which has been used in ceremonial and healing ceremonies for thousands of years.

DMT is found naturally in numerous plants, including Mimosa hostilis (aka M. tenuiflora), Psychotria viridis, and Diplopterys cabrerana.

DMT is one ingredient involved in creating ayahuasca, a beverage originating in South America. Ayahuasca is consumed to reach an altered state of consciousness. Enzymes in your liver, called monoamine oxidases (MAOs), deactivate DMT when it is consumed orally. So, ayahuasca must also contain a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) – a compound capable of stopping MAOs from deactivating DMT. Examples of natural MAOIs include the harmala alkaloids found in the plant species Banisteriopsis caapi and Peganum harmala.

DMT can induce an intense, immersive altered consciousness. Some describe it as akin to being transported to an alternative dimension, full of vivid, complex imagery, and with no diminished wakefulness. At high enough doses, DMT can elicit descriptions of encounters with sentient others – “aliens” or “extraterrestrials”, if you will.

Study Results

We already have a decent understanding of the effects of DMT consumption. As pointed out in the intro, it’s been used for thousands of years. We know the DMT can cause a state of immersive altered consciousness, but how does it do so – and why does this happen?

In this study, participants (twenty in total, average age 33 1/2 years) received an injection of either DMT or placebo. Why an injection? Remember, DMT is broken down in the liver when consumed orally, unless given with an MAOI to block enzymatic degradation. Giving DMT as an injection also means the drug peaks at 3 minutes and effects diminish after about 15 minutes – making it easier to measure changes in brain function via fMRI.

Simultaneous fMRI and EEG recordings began 8 minutes prior to injection, and continued until 20 minutes after DMT or placebo injection.

Researchers found that (I will explain this science jargon):

• DMT decreased segregation between brain networks, especially the default-mode, salience, and frontoparietal networks.
• DMT increased global connectivity between the default-mode, salience, and frontoparietal networks.
• DMT increased whole-brain connectivity, on average, across all regions

Implications

Our brain function is organized in a hierarchy. At the upper end is a portion known as the transmodal association cortex pole, or “TOP” (original!). The TOP of the human brain (I’ll stop with the dad jokes here) oversees unimodal sensory areas of the brain – portions responsible for processing of basic information such as “I’m hungry”, “I’m horny”, and “Bruno Mars is an affront to the sense of sound.”

The TOP is more detached from processing sensory input (things you feel, touch, smell, and so on) and more linked to abstract, semantic concepts and longer information processing time. In the context of primate evolution, the TOP developed very late. It helps link, coordinate, and connect the various sensory processing parts of the brain to tell you what the “big picture” looks like. Further, the TOP is also where we find the densest expression of serotonin 2A receptors (5-HT2AR), believed to be the main receptor which psychedelics target and act on.

Connection across brain regions helps us see past our “fight or flight” base instincts. The effects on the brain described in this study could help explain why DMT can induce such strong feelings of “oneness” and connectedness with other living beings.

Let’s go back to the quote from Shulgin at the beginning of the article. How did he describe his experience taking DMT?

“I was being destroyed—all that was familiar, all reference points, all identity—all viciously shattered in a few seconds,” he wrote. “I couldn’t even mourn the loss—there was no one left to do the mourning. Up, up, out, out, eyes closed, I am at the speed of light, expanding, expanding, expanding, faster and faster until I have become so large that I no longer exist.”

In the context of the study discussed above, this sounds a bit less crazy, yeah? “I was being destroyed…expanding, expanding, expanding, faster and faster until I have become so large that I no longer exist.” Until I have become so large that I no longer exist. Brain interconnectedness shatters our ego’s perception of self as the center of the universe. It allows us to stop seeing reality as constructed by an ego-centered brain, and opens a door to a new, connected world.

Conclusion

Long story short – this study implies that DMT helps connect the lower and “higher” regions of the brain – compressing the brain, in the sense that it connects the lower and higher-functioning regions into one large, connected brain network. This helps us see a bigger picture beyond our own little world. I don’t say “little” to be demeaning. Each of us possesses a body in a moment in time that will never be replicated – a truly special, amazing opportunity! And while each of us gets to possess our own little ego-driven reality, it ultimately means nothing without connection to others. And this study shows the possibility for psychedelics to help find and expand that connectedness, which can have a significant positive impact on mental health.