Study of the Safety, Tolerability, Electrophysiological Effects and Efficacy of DMT in Humans
The goal of this phase 1 study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in individuals with depression and healthy controls. We hypothesize that administration of DMT will result in decreases in depression, associated symptoms, and neuroplastic changes in depressed subjects. We expect that DMT will induce changes in neuroplasticity as indexed using electroencephalographic (EEG) measures and tasks in both depressed individuals and healthy volunteers, though to different degrees. These…
Conditions studied
Major Depression Disorder, Depression
About this study
The goal of this phase 1 study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in individuals with depression and healthy controls. We hypothesize that administration of DMT will result in decreases in depression, associated symptoms, and neuroplastic changes in depressed subjects. We expect that DMT will induce changes in neuroplasticity as indexed using electroencephalographic (EEG) measures and tasks in both depressed individuals and healthy volunteers, though to different degrees. These neuronal changes may in parallel cause changes in mood measured both in healthy and depressed subjects, which will be captured using appropriate psychometric measures of mood.
Interventions
- Drug: DMT-Medium Dose — 14 mg slow intravenous push (bolus) over 5 minutes and then 0.015 mg/kg/min for 55 minutes.
- Drug: DMT-Low Dose — 10 mg slow intravenous push (bolus) over 5 minutes and then 0.01 mg/kg/min for 55 minutes
- Drug: THC-Medium Dose — 0.5 mg over 5 minutes and then 2 mg over and 55 minutes
- Drug: THC-Low Dose — 0.1 mg slow intravenous push (bolus) over 5 minutes and then I mg over 55 minutes
Primary outcomes
- Safety of Physiological indices (Time Frame: -60 and -30 minutes before DMT administration; 0, +5, +10, +15, +20, +30, +45, +60, and +120 minutes after DMT administration]blood pressure and heart rate will be measured before, during, and after the dosing on each test day.)
- Psychedelic Effects (From start Test Day Time points (Minutes): -60, +30, +120.)
- Psychotomimetic Effects (Test Day Time points (Minutes): -60, +30, +120)
- Anxiety (Test Day Time points (Minutes): -60, +30, +120)
- Depression (From start of test day (-60), +30, and +120.)
- Intensity of the Experience (Test Day Time points (Minutes): +150 - +180)
- Drug Reinforcing Effects (Test Day Time points (Minutes): +120)
- Tolerability of Overt Adverse Effects (Test Day Time points (Minutes): -60, +30, +120, 180 (end of test day))
Eligibility information
Study locations
- Biological Studies Unit at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Yale School of Medicine,, West Haven, Connecticut 06516 United States
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. Record last refreshed by Varda Clinical: 2026-09-27.