Research
Daily Field Notes on emerging psychedelic clinical trials and pharmacology — N,N-DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, ayahuasca, ibogaine, and related tryptamines. Coverage of preprints, peer-reviewed papers from PubMed, and the major research centres (Imperial, MAPS, Beckley, Cybin, Usona). Receptor pharmacology, biased agonism, deuterated analogues, and the translation of psychedelic compounds from bench to clinic. Independent, evidence-led, primary sources cited.
DMT for Parkinson's: Sigma-1 Neuroprotection in a 6-OHDA Model
Calleja-Conde and Morales-García extend the Madrid group's DMT–sigma-1 neuroprotection case into a Parkinson's model. Suggestive, not yet definitive — but building.
DMT shows neuroprotective effects in a Parkinson's rat model — a Madrid group extends its σ1R hypothesis
Could DMT protect dopamine neurons? A new preclinical study from Madrid says yes — at least in rats. Here's what the data show, what the σ1R–NRF2 mechanism implies, and why translation to human Parkinson's remains an open question.
Ayahuasca Alkaloids in Hair: A New Long-Window Exposure Biomarker
Santos et al. validate a hair-analysis method for DMT and β-carbolines — turning a single strand into a months-long record of ayahuasca exposure.
Szára's 1956 self-experiment: the Budapest dose that launched DMT research
Cold War Hungary, 1956: Stephen Szára couldn't get LSD, so he made DMT and dosed himself. Modern psychedelic research began that afternoon.
Can Halogenated DMT Analogues Be Non-Hallucinogenic? G-Protein Bias
A preprint shows 2-chloro and 2-bromo DMT analogues display G-protein bias at 5-HT2A — relevant to the hunt for non-hallucinogenic psychedelics.
Long-Term Ayahuasca: Personality Shifts, Cognition Intact (Bouso)
Bouso compares chronic ayahuasca users with cannabis users and non-users: personality differs across groups, cognitive function is spared.
Ayahuasca vs Meditation: Two Routes to Ego Dissolution?
Arqueros et al. compare hypo-egoic features in ayahuasca users and long-term meditators — testing whether pharmacology and contemplation reach the same place.
2-Halogenated Tryptamines: How One Atom Reshapes DMT Pharmacology
Von Salm, McCorvy and Baumann profile 2-halogenated tryptamines: halogen choice at the 2-position reshapes 5-HT receptor selectivity and signalling bias.
UCL's UNITy Trial: Can DMT Disrupt Alcohol Memory Reconsolidation?
UCL's UNITy trial pairs IV DMT with alcohol memory reactivation in heavy drinkers — testing whether DMT plasticity can rewrite addiction memories.
DMT EEG: Alpha Power Outperforms Lempel-Ziv Complexity (Timmermann)
Timmermann et al. test EEG correlates of the DMT experience: alpha power outperforms Lempel-Ziv complexity, the entropic-brain hypothesis's signature.
DMT and Ayahuasca Clinical Trials: 2026 Pipeline Scoping Review
Stojanović et al. map every registered DMT and ayahuasca trial — and quantify how much of the field never publishes its results. Useful cartography.
5-MeO-DMT Brain Connectivity in Awake Rats: Sex and Dose Effects
Cavallaro et al. (Ferris lab) map 5-MeO-DMT brain connectivity in awake rats — distinct dose and sex effects emerge in limbic and prefrontal circuits.