Ongoing research from our group, presented at Breaking Convention 2019:
5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a psychotropic substance found in various plant as well as animal species, and can also be synthetically produced. Despite the use of 5-MeO-DMT by people in naturalistic settings, current scientific knowledge on the effects of 5-MeO-DMT in humans are relatively scarce. Thus, the first objective of this research was to assess the effects of inhalation of vaporised synthetic 5-MeO-DMT on neuroendocrine markers. The second objective was to assess effects of the substance on affect and mindfulness. In addition, this research assessed whether ratings of subjective measures were associated with changes in stress biomarkers (i.e. cortisol) and immune response (i.e. IL-6, CRP, IL-1β), as well as the acute psychedelic experience. Assessments (baseline, immediately post-session, and 7-days follow-up) were made in 11 participants. Salivary samples were collected at baseline and post-session and analysed by high-sensitivity enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A summary of the results will be presented.