Transient destabilization of whole brain dynamics induced by N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT).
Juan Ignacio Piccinini, Yonatan Sanz Perl, Carla Pallavicini, Gustavo Deco, Morten L. Kringelbach, David Nutt, Robin Carhart-Harris, Christopher Timmermann, Enzo Tagliazucchi
Communications Biology March 11, 2025 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-07576-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study with computational modeling Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 15 |
| Population | Human volunteers under intravenous DMT |
| Interventions | N N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) |
| Dose | 20 mg intravenous |
| Topics | DMT 5-MeO-DMT |
| Keywords | Brain chemistry Consciousness research Psychedelics |
| Citations | 6 |
| Key findings | A transient of heightened reactivity in fronto-parietal and visual regions correlates with serotonin 5HT2a receptor density, suggesting minimal perturbations can achieve maximal effects during the psychedelic state. |
Abstract
The transition towards the brain state induced by psychedelic drugs is frequently neglected in favor of a static description of their acute effects. We use a time-dependent whole-brain model to reproduce large-scale brain dynamics measured with fMRI from 15 volunteers under 20 mg intravenous N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a short-acting psychedelic. To capture its transient effects, we parametrize the proximity to a global bifurcation using a pharmacokinetic equation. Simulated perturbations reveal a transient of heightened reactivity concentrated in fronto-parietal regions and visual cortices, correlated with serotonin 5HT2a receptor density, the primary target of psychedelics. These advances suggest a mechanism to explain key features of the psychedelic state and also predicts that the temporal evolution of these features aligns with pharmacokinetics. Our results contribute to understanding how psychedelics introduce a transient where minimal perturbations can achieve a maximal effect, shedding light on how short psychedelic episodes may extend an overarching influence over time.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on 5-MeO-DMT, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short term changes in the proteome of human cerebral organoids induced by 5-MeO-DMT. Human cerebral organoids | 2017 | Experimental study | |
| Bufo alvarius: a potent hallucinogen of animal origin. Bufo alvarius toad venom | 1994 | Experimental study | |
| Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers | 2019 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 11 |
| Unmasking of a neonatal somatovesical reflex in adult cats by the serotonin autoreceptor agonist 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine. Adult cats | 1990 | Experimental study | n = 10 |
| Studies on the Mechanism of Action of Monoamine Oxidase: Metabolism of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and N,N-Dimethyltryptamine-N-Oxide | 1962 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Psilocybin shapes the slow, global propagation of brain activity over the cortical layout of 5HT2a receptors Communications Biology March 26, 2026
- Preliminary analysis of ayahuasca-induced anatomical alterations in the somatosensory cortex of juvenile non-human primates (Callithrix jacchus) subjected to chronic stress Translational Psychiatry February 19, 2026
- Network Rerouting Under Ayahuasca: Temporally and Hemisphere-Resolved EEG Connectomics bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) December 11, 2025
- A Comparative Neurophenomenology of the Psychedelic State and Autism: Predictive Processing as a Unifying Lens Psychoactives November 14, 2025
Cites 51
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences January 23, 2012
- Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 11, 2016
- Homological scaffolds of brain functional networks Journal of the Royal Society, Interface October 29, 2014
- Psychedelics and the essential importance of context. Journal of Psychopharmacology February 15, 2018
and 46 more in the library