This preprint, naturalistic EEG study (n=29) examines the effects of inhaled synthetic 5-MeO-DMT (12mg) on brain activity in healthy individuals. It finds that 5-MeO-DMT radically reorganises low-frequency neural activity flows, making them incoherent, heterogeneous, and nonrecurring. It also causes broadband activity to exhibit slower, more stable, low-dimensional behaviour with increased energy barriers to rapid global shifts.
Abstract of Complex slow waves radically reorganise human brain dynamics under 5-MeO-DMT
“5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a psychedelic drug known for its uniquely profound effects on subjective experience, reliably eradicating the perception of time, space, and the self. However, little is known about how this drug alters large-scale brain activity. We collected naturalistic electroencephalography (EEG) data of 29 healthy individuals before and after inhaling a high dose (12mg) of vaporised synthetic 5-MeO-DMT. We replicate work from rodents showing amplified low-frequency oscillations, but extend these findings with novel tools for characterising the organisation and dynamics of complex low-frequency spatiotemporal fields of neural activity. We find that 5-MeO-DMT radically reorganises low-frequency flows of neural activity, causing them to become incoherent, heterogeneous, viscous, fleeting, nonrecurring, and to cease their typical travelling forwards and backwards across the cortex compared to resting state. Further, we find a consequence of this reorganisation in broadband activity, which exhibits slower, more stable, lowdimensional behaviour, with increased energy barriers to rapid global shifts. These findings provide the first detailed empirical account of how 5-MeO-DMT sculpts human brain dynamics, revealing a novel set of cortical slow wave behaviours, with significant implications for extant neuroscientific models of serotonergic psychedelics.“
Authors: George Blackburne, Rosalind G. McAlpine, Marco Fabus, Alberto Liardi, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, Pedro A. M. Mediano & Jeremy I. Skipper
Summary of Complex slow waves radically reorganise human brain dynamics under 5-MeO-DMT
5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a potent psychedelic drug known for its profound effects on subjective experience. Despite its involvement in clinical trials for various mental health conditions, little is known about how it alters large-scale brain activity in humans. The drug is known to reliably eradicate the perception of time, space, and self, making it a unique tool for investigating neural processes related to alterations in subjective experience.
5-MeO-DMT is often referred to as the ‘God Molecule’ due to its powerful effects. When inhaled, it induces a rapid progression into what users describe as ‘another dimension’, where sensation becomes detached from consensus reality. Unlike DMT, the 5-MeO-DMT experience generally lacks the visually intricate geometric spaces and entities. Instead, it produces a state where even basic structures of subjective experience such as time, space, and self are felt to be abolished.
Previous research in rodents has shown that 5-MeO-DMT significantly augments low-frequency rhythms (<4Hz) in the brain. This effect is intriguing because amplified low-frequency oscillations are typically associated with states of reduced consciousness, such as slow-wave sleep or general anaesthesia. However, under 5-MeO-DMT, this occurs while the subject remains awake and aware, challenging the conventional understanding of the relationship between low-frequency brain activity and conscious states.
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Complex slow waves radically reorganise human brain dynamics under 5-MeO-DMT
https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.04.616717
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Cite this paper (APA)
Blackburne, G., McAlpine, R. G., Fabus, M., Liardi, A., Kamboj, S. K., Mediano, P. A. M., & Skipper, J. I. (2024). Complex slow waves radically reorganise human brain dynamics under 5-MeO-DMT. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.10.04.616717
Study details
Compounds studied
5-MeO-DMT
Topics studied
Healthy Subjects
Neuroscience
Study characteristics
Original
Open-Label
Bio/Neuro
Participants
29
Humans
Compound Details
The psychedelics given at which dose and how many times
5-MeO-DMT 12 mg | 1x