Translated from our German original by AI. The German text was researched, written, and edited by the Psychedelia Foundation team and remains the authoritative version.
A preclinical study provides new indications that DMT could act against depression about as quickly as S-ketamine, while also showing anxiolytic effects that last considerably longer. Researchers report this after experiments with so-called helpless mice, an established animal model of stress-related depression.
Comparison with S-ketamine
In the study, the scientists compared DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine) with S-ketamine, which is already used clinically as a fast-acting antidepressant. Mice were first placed in a state of learned helplessness through inescapable electric shocks. Only the most severely affected animals then received either DMT, S-ketamine, or a placebo.
Rapid relief from depressive symptoms
The results show a rapid effect: as early as 24 hours after administration, both DMT and S-ketamine improved depressive behavior patterns in group-housed mice. The animals showed fewer escape deficits and responded more quickly to stressful situations. In singly housed mice, both substances also prevented stress-related signs of anhedonia, the loss of pleasure or interest, five days later.
A surprisingly long-lasting effect of DMT
The duration of the effect in the tail suspension test was particularly striking:
- DMT reduced the animals’ motionless “resignation phase” for up to eight days after a single injection.
- The effect of S-ketamine, by contrast, lasted only about 30 hours, even at a three times higher dose.
Additional anxiolytic effects
The researchers also observed indications of a pronounced anxiolytic effect of DMT, detectable up to five days after administration. The treated mice moved more actively in open test environments and explored exposed areas more often, behaviors considered signs of reduced anxiety in animal research. S-ketamine showed no comparable effects in these tests.
Context and outlook
The authors see this as an indication of possible “transdiagnostic” potential for DMT in stress-related mental illness, since it could address depressive and anxiety-related symptoms at the same time. So far, however, these are animal experiments only. Whether the promising results can be transferred to humans remains open and has to be tested in clinical trials.
DMT is a naturally occurring psychedelic substance from the tryptamine group, best known as a component of traditional ayahuasca preparations, but it is also biosynthesized in humans and animals as an endogenous substance. Interest in psychedelic compounds as a modern treatment option in psychiatry has risen markedly in recent years.
