Thought this is quite interesting:

https://futurism.com/scientists-discover-neuronal-effects-of-psychedelic-drugs-using-human-minibrains/

Original Nature article as PDF

In short:


I really hope they do the same also for other trypts to find out, if this is general for them or specific for 5-MeO-DMT.

But I have to say, that most stuff in this paper is far above my understandable level...

Yes I saw this, was about to share, good shout!

And yes I think it will very likely apply to other psychedelics, 5-MeO-DMT was just the chemical model they were working with in this case, and there has been research on other psychedelics that has revealed similar things.

A study on LSD that is relevant and reported similar findings (linked below).



http://www.nature.com/np...tml?foxtrotcallback=true

Ketamine has been linked to synaptogenesis and increasing BDNF and this has been postulated to partly explain its antidepressant qualities.

http://www.nature.com/mp.../n12/full/mp201387a.html

Psilocybin has been linked to neurogenesis, and ibogaine has been found to raise GDNF levels. So it is very likely this applies to most or all classical psychedelics to some degree.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23727882

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17023388

What is extra intriguing about this though is 5-MeO-DMT's endogenous status.

There's probably no definite answer to this question, but do you think that these are purely pharmacological effects, or could the experience itself have anything to do with it?

Meditation also changes the brain...maybe an experience that causes you to more often reflect on yourself, your beliefs and 'reality' could have a simmilar effect.
Or the experience, and later on, thinking about the experience, could have a feedback type of effect on some of the pharmacological effects. A reïnforcing sort of mechanism.

Regarding the linked 5-MeO-DMT study in the OP, it is purely pharmacological effects at play, as the study was in vitro and there was no human experiential component involved.

Certainly though it seems that the psychedelic experience (and in particular the mystical-type experiences they can catalyse) is a very important part of their long term therapeutic effect. There is very likely going to be a synergy between the pharmacological and experiential effects of the experience (for instance long term changes in the personality domain of openness in past psilocybin studies were intimately tied to the occurrence of the mystical experience during a given psilocybin session). Like meditation it seems psychedelics are able to affect neuroplasticity.

If 5-MeO-DMT realy IS an endogenous substance, do you think it could be involved in these neural effects of meditation on the brain?