Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:203-208
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
The psychedelic model of schizophrenia: the case of N,N- dimethyltryptamine
JC Gillin, J Kaplan, R Stillman and RJ Wyatt
The authors review the research on N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) as a
possible "schizotoxin." DMT produces psychedelic effects when administered
to normal subjects, the means are present to synthesize it in man, it has
occasionally been found in man, and tolerance to its behavioral effects is
incomplete. However, DMT concentrations have not been proven to differ
significantly in schizophrenics and normal controls. Also, in vivo
synthesis of DMT has not been convincingly demonstrated, and the
psychological changes it produces do not closely mimic the symptoms of
schizophrenia. The authors conclude that more data are necessary before the
validity of this theory can be determined.
