Health, Longevity & Biohacking
Dying Rat Brains Flood With DMT Protecting Neurons From Oxygen Deprivation
The Why Files
The Basement: Andrew Gallimore | DMT Didn't Take You Somewhere New — It Unlocked What's Always There
"What he found is that if you deprive neurons of oxygen and added some DMT to the mix, the neurons survived much longer. A neuroprotective. It's neuroprotective, and it's actually a particular receptor, um, um, called the sigma-1 receptor. So then you think about this, oh, wait a minute, what happens during the dying process? Well, your cardiovascular and respiratory systems start to collapse. Your brain is starved, gradually more and more starved of oxygen. Now, this is precisely the time when, you know, if you do come back, right? If you don't die, this is precisely the time when you need as much DMT in your brain as possible to help protect your brain."
University researchers induced cardiac arrest in rats and measured surging DMT levels in dying brains. Biochemist Edie Fresca discovered DMT binds sigma-1 receptors to protect oxygen-starved neurons much longer than controls. Gallimore theorized endogenous DMT production spikes during dying to preserve brain tissue, potentially explaining both the neuroprotective evolutionary purpose and near-death visions.
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