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DMT in the mammalian brain:
A critical appraisal Charles D. Nichols & David E. Nichols
commentary on Dean et al., 2019 keywords
DMT, near-death experiences, neurotransmission, mammalian doi: 10.34700/a5hm-fs14 Abstract
Recently, a publication from Dean et al. reported that N,N-dimethyl tryptamine (DMT) is synthesized in the rat brain cortex, present at levels similar to other monoamine neurotransmitters, and significantly increases in concentration at death. They further promoted the theory that DMT may serve as the causative agent for “near death experiences”, which have been compared to peak psychedelic experiences. The publication certainly is interesting and suggests additional directions to explore scientifically but does not meet the bar for either claim that DMT is at functional levels in the cortex comparable to serotonin or is the “near death” neurotransmitter. |
