I thought this may be of interest to fellow Nexians, pretty fresh off the press by the looks of it. May be that a new piece of the endogenous DMT jigsaw has just fallen into place, with some positive looking future avenues of possibility. Great to see Dennis McKenna and Luis Luna among the paper authors. Does anyone have access to this and would they be able to download it and attach it to a post? I for one would love to read more...


Frecska, E., Szabo, A., Winkelman, M. J., Luna, L. E. & Mckenna, D. J. (2013) A possibly sigma-1 receptor mediated role of dimethyltryptamine in tissue protection, regeneration, and immunity. Journal of Neural Transmission.


Abstract

N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is classified as a naturally occurring serotonergic hallucinogen of plant origin. It has also been found in animal tissues and regarded as an endogenous trace amine transmitter. The vast majority of research on DMT has targeted its psychotropic/psychedelic properties with less focus on its effects beyond the nervous system. The recent discovery that DMT is an endogenous ligand of the sigma-1 receptor may shed light on yet undiscovered physiological mechanisms of DMT activity and reveal some of its putative biological functions. A three-step active uptake process of DMT from peripheral sources to neurons underscores a presumed physiological significance of this endogenous hallucinogen. In this paper, we overview the literature on the effects of sigma-1 receptor ligands on cellular bioenergetics, the role of serotonin, and serotoninergic analogues in immunoregulation and the data regarding gene expression of the DMT synthesizing enzyme indolethylamine-N-methyltransferase in carcinogenesis. We conclude that the function of DMT may extend central nervous activity and involve a more universal role in cellular protective mechanisms. Suggestions are offered for future directions of indole alkaloid research in the general medical field. We provide converging evidence that while DMT is a substance which produces powerful psychedelic experiences, it is better understood not as a hallucinogenic drug of abuse, but rather an agent of significant adaptive mechanisms that can also serve as a promising tool in the development of future medical therapies.


From:

http://link.springer.com...0.1007/s00702-013-1024-y

hey thanks bancopuma

..thanks also bancopuma..
memory and learning are among the functions of the Sigma-1 receptor..
depression may also be modulated by it..

Thank you for sharing bancopuma.



The future is looking bright.

I've heard it suggested in a couple of places that the Sigma-1 receptor is involved in mood and outlook regulation, so it makes a certain amount of sense that we might find DMT there.

I wonder if it has anything to do with regulating or building the nervous system as a whole. I remember reading a study a few months back that showed that psilocin and serotonin (both of which are molecularity similar to DMT) have neruogenerative effects.

I'll be amused, however, if it turns out that the role of endogenous DMT is something totally mundane, like regulating toenail growth, for example.

A bit more information:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih....pmc/articles/PMC2947205/

I could not access it through any of the NCSU library resources available to me, including Web of Science. I was able to see the first two pages of it at the Springer site, however ("Look inside" ).

For those who don't have access, heres a full .pdf i found http://www.scribd.com/do...le-of-Dimethyltryptamine

Very cool! Thanks bancopuma and universecannon!

Kind regards,

The Traveler

It's s very interesting article , I get what they're trying
To do with a paper like this , I thinks it's awesome to explore
Some of these other avenues of possibility

thanks for the find. made me smile
L&G

The article recommends conducting studies for the possible use of DMT during resuscitation for the extension of the period of clinical death and discusses its potentials in perinatal oxidative stress (e.g. neonatal asphyxia). The main goal of the paper was to facilitate DMT research by addressing those researchers who are not interested in psychedelic effects.
Garabonc