When the endogenous hallucinogenic trace amine N,N-dimethyltryptamine meets the sigma-1 receptor.
Science signaling
confidence
Key findings
Hypothesis paper proposing DMT psychedelic action may be partly mediated via sigma-1 receptor binding; no clinical endpoints reported.
View source on PubMed (PMID 19278957) ↗
- Sample size
- N/A
- Population
- Not applicable (hypothesis/review paper)
- Dosing
- N/A
- Duration
- N/A
- Route
- N/A
- Blinding
- not_reported
- Controls
- not_reported
- Drug class
- psychedelic therapy
Full abstract
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a hallucinogen found endogenously in human brain that is commonly recognized to target the 5-hydroxytryptamine 2A receptor or the trace amine-associated receptor to exert its psychedelic effect. DMT has been recently shown to bind sigma-1 receptors, which are ligand-regulated molecular chaperones whose function includes inhibiting various voltage-sensitive ion channels. Thus, it is possible that the psychedelic action of DMT might be mediated in part through sigma-1 receptors. Here, we present a hypothetical signaling scheme that might be triggered by the binding of DMT to sigma-1 receptors.