Journal
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 9, Issue 10, Pages 2344-2357Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00101
Keywords
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine; DMT; ayahuasca; psychedelic; hallucinogen
Funding
- UC Davis Department of Chemistry
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine
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Though relatively obscure, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is an important molecule in psychopharmacology as it is the archetype for all indole-containing serotonergic psychedelics. Its structure can be found embedded within those of better-known molecules such as lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and psilocybin. Unlike the latter two compounds, DMT is ubiquitous, being produced by a wide variety of plant and animal species. It is one of the principal psychoactive components of ayahuasca, a tisane made from various plant sources that has been used for centuries. Furthermore, DMT is one of the few psychedelic compounds produced endogenously by mammals, and its biological function in human physiology remains a mystery. In this review, we cover the synthesis of DMT as well as its pharmacology, metabolism, adverse effects, and potential use in medicine. Finally, we discuss the history of DMT in chemical neuroscience and why this underappreciated molecule is so important to the field of psychedelic science.
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