The human brain has the enzymatic pathway to synthesize…
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The human brain has the enzymatic pathway to synthesize DMT. Researchers are trying to find out if variations in this endogenous production creates distinct neural connectivity profiles.
I find this topic fascinating from a basic biology perspective and wanted to see what this community thinks.
The enzymes INMT (indolethylamine-N-methyltransferase) and AADC (aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase) have both been identified in human brain tissue. Together, they form a pathway that can convert tryptophan to tryptamine and then to N,N-Dimethyltryptamine. DMT has been detected at trace levels in human cerebrospinal fluid.
The big unknown is whether this endogenous synthesis is biologically meaningful or whether it's just a metabolic side product of enzymes that have other primary functions. AADC, for instance, is better known for its role in dopamine and serotonin synthesis. INMT's primary function in the brain is still debated.
A research team is proposing to approach this question from the neuroimaging side. Instead of measuring tissue concentrations (which is technically difficult and has produced inconsistent results), they want to use combined fMRI and EEG to look for distinct brain connectivity patterns that correlate with endogenous DMT activity.
Curious to hear from anyone who's worked on tryptamine biochemistry. Is there a good reason INMT would be expressed in brain tissue if DMT synthesis weren't at least somewhat functional?
#animals
I find this topic fascinating from a basic biology perspective and wanted to see what this community thinks.
The enzymes INMT (indolethylamine-N-methyltransferase) and AADC (aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase) have both been identified in human brain tissue. Together, they form a pathway that can convert tryptophan to tryptamine and then to N,N-Dimethyltryptamine. DMT has been detected at trace levels in human cerebrospinal fluid.
The big unknown is whether this endogenous synthesis is biologically meaningful or whether it's just a metabolic side product of enzymes that have other primary functions. AADC, for instance, is better known for its role in dopamine and serotonin synthesis. INMT's primary function in the brain is still debated.
A research team is proposing to approach this question from the neuroimaging side. Instead of measuring tissue concentrations (which is technically difficult and has produced inconsistent results), they want to use combined fMRI and EEG to look for distinct brain connectivity patterns that correlate with endogenous DMT activity.
Curious to hear from anyone who's worked on tryptamine biochemistry. Is there a good reason INMT would be expressed in brain tissue if DMT synthesis weren't at least somewhat functional?
#animals
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