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.
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.
DMT vs Ketamine: Equal on Depression, DMT Wins on Anxiety
De Sousa-Silva et al. compare DMT to S-ketamine in helpless mice: matched on depression, but DMT also produces anxiolysis. From the Natal ayahuasca group.
Beckley Psytech's BPL-003: 5-MeO-DMT Without SSRI Washout
Beckley Psytech's BPL-003 trial gave intranasal 5-MeO-DMT to depressed patients still on SSRIs — no washout required. First proof-of-concept of its kind.
Endogenous DMT: Not in Serotonin Terminals — Palner et al
Palner et al. find DMT is neither synthesised nor stored in serotonin terminals (rat). The endogenous DMT hypothesis narrows — but is not entirely buried.
5-HT1A Blockade Potentiates DMT: Zahid, Strassman et al.
Zahid, Strassman et al. show that blocking 5-HT1A receptors potentiates DMT's subjective effects — first human evidence that the 5-HT1A 'brake' is real.
DMT for Stroke: Exeter Knockout Data Challenges Sigma-1 Story
Exeter data shows DMT inhibits stroke-related spreading depolarisations more effectively in sigma-1 knockout mice — challenging the prevailing mechanism.
DMT research: Top recent findings from 34 papers.
DMT research: top findings and the state of play A synthesis of 34 recent papers on DMT and its close analogue 5-MeO-DMT, written for a non-specialist professional audience. DMT is a small naturally occurring molecule, structurally similar to the neurotransmitter serotonin, that produ