Think of a reality where everything around you instantly changes – the world becomes filled with bright colours, spaces are distorted and your field of view blurs. That is how users of an intense hallucinogenic drug/ powerful psychedelic, called N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) experience their existence. This has been discovered by new research which has also provided a scientific explanation for the alleged vivid visual experiences.
The Psychedelic Journey of DMT
Often linked to the ability to generate brief but profound hallucinations, DMT is a naturally occurring compound found in many plants. These hallucinations go beyond mere visual imagery to include deep auditory sensations as well as a distortion of time and space. Traditionally, plants containing DMT have been employed during spiritual rituals especially in form of ayahuasca, which is psychoactive brew. Nevertheless, recently there has been an interest by scientists to investigate the potential therapeutic uses for DMT especially in mental health disorders like depression and anxiety.
However, what goes on in someone’s brain after inhaling this substance? A recent neuroimage article provides vital information regarding this question. They established that DMT significantly affects the primary visual cortex, which handles vision processing in the mind leading to characteristic distortions observed during people’s journeys with this substance.
Exploring Brain’s Visual Hub
The primary visual cortex is situated within one part of our brain that is important when it comes to early stages of vision processing. Under normal circumstances, this region allows us understand our environment better through eye input interpretation. Each set of neurons in this section performs an analysis for certain parts of a scene thus enabling us see details clearly.
In order to examine whether DMT influences neuron population receptive fields (RFs), researchers wanted to determine if RF shift or expansion occurred as a result. Hence such observations can explain why typical effects include tunnel vision and blurred peripheral vision experienced by DMT users.
The Study: A Closer Look at DMT’s Effects
In a study conducted by Lapo Pais, for instance, the researchers sought to confirm if this compound alters the neurons. Specifically, they suggested that DMT might widen or displace these neurons’ population of receptive fields (RFs). For example, there may be visual distortions like blurred peripheral vision and a feeling of narrowing during a trip on DMT.
The Research: What Does It Actually Say?
To do this study, 11 individuals were involved; 4 females with an average age of 37 years. All subjects had previously tried substances capable of altering their state of mind particularly through inhaling vaporized dmt. Each participant participated in two sessions of neuroimaging which took place several weeks apart.
In another session, participants were given DMT gas and asked to inhale it into their lungs. There was another control session where no drug was put inside their bodies. During the peak effects of DMT after taking it via inhalation route, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed on them while they were watching a video containing moving bars used for stimulating the visual cortex during scanning process. These MRI scans mainly focused on responses from the primary visual cortex when people get high from using DMT.
What did the researchers find?
The results were mind-blowing. According to the study, DMT significantly increased the population receptive fields of neurons in the primary visual cortex by a great measure, mainly for those reacting to peripheral parts of visual space. Consequently, given that DMT exposure compared to normal state made these cells fire larger sections of vision than it normally does; this could be an explanation why individuals often report experiences such as tunnel vision.
Curiously enough, there were no significant changes in eye or head movements between the DMT and control sessions which means that brain changes observed were caused directly by DMT effects and not external factors.
Consequently, short-term alterations in population receptive fields caused by DMT may account for the visual distortions reported by users. However, according to them other areas within primary visual cortex may also be undergoing change following administration of DMT. In addition to earlier point mentioned regarding visual disruptions brought about by Psychedelic drugs on primary regions involved in optical perception other parts of brain responsible for high level vision might be involved during psychedelic states thus producing complex visions.
Why does this matter?
Understanding how dmt affects visual processing in humans is a major milestone in scientific research using psychedelics. Through this research scientists have come up with scientific basis for understanding how dmt causes hallucinations. Furthermore, these discoveries give rise to new windows on understanding how such substances influence human brains among many others things including our overall view of mental health issues.
The future of psychedelic research
This study brings up more questions than answers. Some examples are: only people having used DMT earlier took part, making it difficult to generalize findings; also only immediate effects have been researched so far and more studies need to be undertaken concerning long term impact upon human brain.
Nevertheless, the above research marks an important leap forward in knowing how psychedelics like dmt interact with brains. As medical practitioners continue with these explorations, there will be a need for such kind of research in order to develop reliable and safe cures for mental illnesses.
The study was authored by Marta Lapo Pais, Marta Teixeira, Carla Soares, Gisela Lima, Patrícia Rijo, Celia Cabral and Miguel Castelo-Branco.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.