Transient destabilization of whole brain dynamics induced by N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT).

ABSTRACT: The transition towards the brain state induced by psychedelic drugs is frequently neglected in favor of a static description of their acute effects. We use a time-dependent whole-brain model to reproduce large-scale brain dynamics measured with fMRI from 15 volunteers under 20 mg intravenous N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a short-acting psychedelic. To capture its transient effects, we parametrize the proximity to a global bifurcation using a pharmacokinetic equation. Simulated perturbations reveal a transient of heightened reactivity concentrated in fronto-parietal regions and visual cortices, correlated with serotonin 5HT2a receptor density, the primary target of psychedelics. These advances suggest a mechanism to explain key features of the psychedelic state and also predicts that the te

SUBMITTER: Piccinini JI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11897362 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature