Dynamic medial parietal and hippocampal deactivations under DMT relate to sympathetic output and altered sense of time, space, and the self

DMT rapidly induces a short-lasting altered state of consciousness marked by physical transcendence, vivid auditory distortions, and visual imagery. Using simultaneous fMRI and EKG data from 14 healthy volunteers before, during, and after intravenous DMT or placebo, a brain substate emerged immediately after DMT injection, characterized by deactivations in the hippocampus and medial parietal cortex and increased activity in the superior temporal lobe. Hippocampal and medial parietal deactivations correlated with altered sense of time, space, and self-referential processes, reflecting a deconstruction of ordinary consciousness. Superior temporal lobe activations correlated with audio/visual hallucinations and the experience of "entities.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a serotonergic psychedelic, known to rapidly induce short-lasting alterations in conscious experience, characterized by a profound and immersive sense of physical transcendence alongside rich and vivid auditory distortions and visual imagery. Multimodal neuroimaging data paired with dynamic analysis techniques offer a valuable approach for identifying unique signatures of brain activity—and linked autonomic physiology—naturally unfolding during the altered state of consciousness induced by DMT. We leveraged simultaneous fMRI and EKG data acquired in 14 healthy volunteers prior to, during, and after intravenous administration of DMT, and, separately, placebo. fMRI data were preprocessed to derive individual dynamic activity matrices, reflecting the similarity of brain activity in time, and community detection algorithms were applied on these matrices to identify brain activity substates; EKG data were used to derive continuous heart rate. We identified a brain substate occurring immediately after DMT injection, characterized by hippocampal and medial parietal deactivations and increased superior temporal lobe activity under DMT. Deactivations in the hippocampus and medial parietal cortex correlated with alterations in the usual sense of time, space, and self-referential processes, reflecting a deconstruction of essential features of ordinary consciousness. Superior lobe activations, instead, correlated with audio/visual hallucinations and experience of “entities”, reflecting the emergence of altered sensory experiences under DMT. Finally, increased heart rate under DMT correlated positively with hippocampus/medial parietal deactivation and the experience of “entities”, and negatively with altered self-referential processes. These results suggest a chain of influence linking sympathetic regulation to hippocampal and medial parietal deactivations under DMT, which, combined, may contribute to positive mental health outcomes related to self-referential processing following psychedelic administration.