N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is neither formed nor retained in serotonin terminals in the rat brain
Mikael Palner, Elisabeth Kolesnik, Christina Baun, Sandra N. Poetzsch, Paul Cumming
Neuropharmacology February 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2026.110874 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rat brain |
| Interventions | pargyline probenecid escitalopram dihydrotetrabenazine DMT+harmine |
| Dose | 1 mg/kg each |
| Duration | 210 minutes |
| Topics | Serotonin 5-MeO-DMT DMT |
| Keywords | Harmine Endogeny Pargyline Metabolite Harmaline Monoamine neurotransmitter Iproniazid Probenecid Endocrinology Pharmacology Monoamine oxidase inhibitor Reuptake Synaptosome Metabolism Dopamine Catabolism Transporter Biochemistry Central nervous system |
| Key findings | No endogenous DMT was detected in rat brain, even after monoamine oxidase inhibition, and the data do not support DMT acting as a co-transmitter with serotonin. |
Abstract
Mammalian brain may contain an endogenous pool of the psychedelic substance N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which may act as a co-transmitter with serotonin (5-HT). We tested the joint hypotheses. We tested the joint hypotheses that endogenous DMT would accumulate in rat brain after inhibiting monoamine oxidase with pargyline, whereas its acidic metabolite 3-indoleacetic acid (3-IAA) would accumulate after pretreatment with the inhibitor of acidic metabolic transport, probenecid. We also tested the hypothesis that pretreatment with inhibitors of plasma membrane 5-HT uptake (escitalopram, ESC) or the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (dihydrotetrabenazine, DTBZ) would reduce the retention in brain of exogenous DMT after administration of DMT+harmine (1 mg/kg each). We first established the time courses of brain DMT, 3-IAA, and harmine concentrations for 210 minutes following DMT+harmine administration. The peak DMT concentration occurred at 45 minutes and peak 3-IAA levels at 60 minutes after DMT+harmine administration, with nearly complete washout of exogenous DMT at 210 minutes. Endogenous DMT levels were below the detection limit of our analytic method, despite pargyline pretreatment, and endogenous 3-IAA was slightly elevated by probenecid treatment, suggesting formation from tryptamine, especially in striatum. ESC did not alter the disposition of exogenous DMT or its metabolite 3-IAA, whereas DTBZ slightly increased 3-IAA formation in some brain regions. In summary, we could not detect an endogenous DMT pool in rat brain, and saw scant evidence of retention of exogenous DMT in 5-HT terminals. • Following injection, DMT shows rapid brain uptake and clearance. • DMT accumulated more in the frontal cortex than in the cerebellum. • Blocking serotonin reuptake transporter did not change DMT levels. • No endogenous DMT was detected in the brain, even when MAO-A was blocked. • The current data do not support DMT as a co-transmitter in serotonin.