Fascinating new research has shown that the potent psychedelic drug DMT can induce the growth of new brain cells.
Published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, the study suggests that the stimulation of neurogenesis (the growth of new brain cells) directly leads to detectable improvements in memory and cognition. This helps explain the antidepressant effects of DMT-containing ayahuasca that has been seen in recent clinical studies.
The study also suggests that the hallucinogenic effects of DMT could be divorced from the neurogenic effects as they are the result of different mechanisms within the brain.
Meaning DMT could have huge therapeutic potential for a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
DMT and Ayahuasca
DMT, short for dimethyltryptamine, is the main psychoactive compound in Ayahuasca – a hallucinogenic ‘brew’ traditionally used in shamanic ceremonies by indiginous tribes in the Amazon rainforest.
When consumed in the form of ayahuasca, DMT can cause profoundly spiritual experiences – including out of body experiences, journeys in other lands/dimensions, and even meeting with other ‘beings’ – over a number of hours.
When inhaled or taken intravenously, however, effects are just as powerful but they only last 20-30 minutes.
There’s been a surge in interest in DMT and Ayahuasca following a scientific psychedelic renaissance during which research has found potent antidepressant effects. This has seen a rise in “Ayahuasca Tourism” and the commoditisation of traditional shamanic ceremonies in and around the Amazon jungle.
The study
Other studies have shown that DMT induces the growth of new brain cells. This new study out of Spain was looking at how DMT produces these effects.
Analysing several mouse experiments over some four years, the study first established that DMT does indeed promote short-term neurogenesis. They also confirmed that these new neurons can clearly be linked to improvements in the mice’s learning, memory and cognition – abilities in which the hippocampus plays an essential role.
Importantly, what the researchers then found was that neurogenesis is produced by a separate mechanism to that which generates the DMT’s hallucinogenic effect.
It’s thought that psychedelics exert hallucinogenic effects via the stimulation of serotonin receptors in the brain, and it had been posited that neurogenesis was a result of the same neural activity.
However, this study shows that neurogenesis is mediated through sigma-1 receptors (S1R), for which DMT has shown to have an affinity for in previous studies.
Treating disease with DMT
Cleary, the therapeutic implications of uncoupling the neurogenic and hallucinogenic qualities of DMT are huge. It could be especially important for treating neurodegenerative diseases in particular. After all, talking to machine elves would be considered an unwanted side effect for most patients.
Lead author of the study, José Ángel Morales, said: “This capacity to modulate brain plasticity suggests that it has great therapeutic potential for a wide range of psychiatric and neurological disorders, including neurodegenerative diseases.”
“The challenge is to activate our dormant capacity to form neurons and thus replace the neurons that die as a result of the disease,” says Morales. “This study shows that DMT is capable of activating neural stem cells and forming new neurons.”
There are some who believe that the hallucinogenic effects of psychedelics can also aid in healing and should not be discounted, particularly when it comes to psychiatric therapy. This is backed up by psilocybin research that suggests mystical experiences during a trip predicted favourable outcomes in terms of wellbeing and happiness.
The third wave
It has been noted that we are currently experiencing the third wave of psychedelic influence. The first wave – indigenous cultures using plant medicines. The second wave – LSD was created; interest and research into psychedelics grows in the 60s; US government starts war on drugs.
And here we are in the third wave, where research is once again making discoveries about psychedelics that will, at the very least, revolutionise psychiatry.
In fact, psychedelic-assisted therapy is slowly becoming accessible to the public, with clinics operating in the U.S state of Oregon, The Netherlands and soon the UK.
This latest study only adds to the fast-growing pool of evidence for the powerful therapeutic potential of psychedelics. The wave seems to be growing.
