The Axis Mundi Hypothesis: Endogenous N,N-Dimethyltryptamine as a Neurobiological Bridge Between Conscious and Subconscious Processing - An Integrative Theoretical Framework
Mihai Alexandru
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) February 12, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18618421 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Default mode network 5-MeO-DMT DMT |
| Keywords | Endogeny Subconscious Agonist Receptor Function biology Cognitive science Artificial neural network Phenomenology philosophy |
| Key points | Proposes that endogenous DMT serves a dual evolutionary function: neuroprotection at the cellular layer via sigma-1 receptor agonism and regulation of conscious-subconscious boundary permeability at the network layer via 5-HT2A receptor modulation of DMN circuitry. |
Abstract
Multiple lines of neuroscientific evidence have converged on a set of closely related findings: the mammalian brain endogenously synthesizes N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) at neurotransmitter-comparable concentrations (Dean et al., 2019); psychedelic compounds suppress the default mode network (DMN) and dissolve ego boundaries (Carhart-Harris et al., 2012; Tagliazucchi et al., 2016); the brain actively suppresses unwanted memories through prefrontal-hippocampal inhibitory gating (Anderson & Green, 2001; Schmitz et al., 2017); psychedelic-induced relaxation of high-level priors permits the surfacing of suppressed content (Carhart-Harris & Friston, 2019); and shared visual phenomenology under DMT is explained by conserved neural architecture (Bressloff et al., 2002). Despite this convergence, no existing theoretical framework integrates these findings into a unified model that explains why the brain produces a psychedelic compound and what function endogenous DMT serves at the level of consciousness. The present paper proposes the Axis Mundi hypothesis: endogenous DMT serves a dual evolutionary function operating across two distinct biological layers. At the cellular layer, DMT acts as an endogenous sigma-1 receptor agonist providing neuroprotection during hypoxic and ischemic stress. At the network layer, DMT modulates the permeability of the conscious-subconscious boundary by acting on 5-HT2A receptors within DMN circuitry, thereby regulating the degree to which subconscious content is accessible to conscious awareness. This dual-function model is synthesized from five pillars of empirical evidence: endogenous DMT biochemistry, DMN neuroimaging, active memory suppression mechanisms, shared visionary neural architecture, and evolutionary receptor conservation. Seven testable predictions are derived from the framework, providing a concrete empirical program for its evaluation.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on 5-MeO-DMT, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| When the Endogenous Hallucinogenic Trace AmineN,N-Dimethyltryptamine Meets the Sigma-1 Receptor | 2009 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Analytical chemistry of synthetic routes to psychoactive tryptamines : Part I. Characterisation of the Speeter and Anthony synthetic route to 5-methoxy-N,N-diisopropyltryptamine using ESI-MS-MS and ESI-TOF-MS | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Enlightening the "Spirit Molecule": Photomodulation of the 5-HT2A Receptor by a Light-Controllable N,N-Dimethyltryptamine Derivative. | 2022 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Conformational, spectroscopic and nonlinear optical properties of biologically active N,N-dimethyltryptamine molecule: a theoretical study. | 2014 | Theoretical or computational study | |
| Simple syntheses of lespedamine and 5-bromo-n,n-dimethyltryptamine based on 1-hydroxyindole chemistry | 1995 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |