When Is DMT Released in the Brain?

March 2, 2023

For many decades, psychedelic researchers have been searching for a chemical that could be responsible for a range of subjective effects. They believed DMT might be produced by the pineal gland, a small organ in the centre of the brain, which is sometimes called the “seat of the soul” and has been linked to spiritual experiences such as near-death experiences (NDEs).

When is dmt released in brain a series of studies, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis was performed on whole-brain extracts from neonatal rat pups from birth through day 17. The highest level of DMT was found at day 17 (17.5 +- 4.18 ng/g of wet brain weight) compared with ages 1-17 where it averaged 1.4-1.8 ng/g.

The cellular colocalization of INMT and AADC transcripts has not yet been reported in any tissue and studies assessing DMT levels in peripheral bodily fluids have shown them to be in trace amounts11, calling into question whether there is any physiological role for DMT in the periphery. It is therefore important to explore the biosynthesis, transport and clearance of endogenous DMT.

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Several new directions and experiments to ascertain the role of endogenous DMT in the brain are proposed, including: mapping of enzymes that are responsible for the biosynthesis of DMT; further studies to clarify the presence and role of DMT in the pineal gland; a reconsideration of binding site data; and new administration and imaging studies. These data are important to help resolve the “natural” role of an endogenous hallucinogen from those of a drug that is administered peripherally.