In brief
- A study published in ACS Chemical Neuroscience shows that DMT, the primary psychoactive compound in ayahuasca, stimulates the proliferation of human neural stem cells grown in the laboratory.
- The study, conducted by researchers at two Brazilian universities, used cells reprogrammed from human skin, rather than live brain tissue or animals.
- A 24-hour exposure to DMT triggered the production of BDNF and NGF—two key factors for neuronal growth—and produced larger neurospheres after the compound was removed.
Brazilian researchers have uncovered an initial molecular clue as to why DMT, the core tryptamine in ayahuasca, is generating so much excitement in modern neuroscience. In a study published this week in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience, a team led by Stevens Rehen and José Alexandre Salerno from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) shows that DMT accelerates the division of human neural stem cells and activates genes associated with neuronal growth and repair.
From skin to neurons in a petri dish
The team worked neither with living brains nor with animals, but with neural stem cells derived from human skin cells reprogrammed using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology. This technique, common in laboratory neuroscience, allows researchers to generate human neuronal precursors in culture and observe how they respond to various compounds without requiring brain biopsies. The researchers exposed these cultures to DMT for 24 hours, then removed the substance to track cell development over the following days.
What they found
DMT exposure increased cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and activated markers characteristic of the cell division phase of the cell cycle. In addition, the compound triggered the expression of trophic factors: nerve growth factor (NGF) surged up to tenfold above baseline, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increased roughly fivefold, both in gene transcription and in active cellular protein. After DMT was washed out of the culture, treated cells formed neurospheres—three-dimensional clusters of neural precursors—that were larger and metabolically more active than untreated controls over the initial days of follow-up.
What this means
The authors themselves emphasize that this is “only a first step”: there is a vast leap between a cell in a petri dish and a functioning human brain, and this research does not justify claims that DMT generates new neurons in living people. This is an in vitro finding, involving neither animals nor human subjects, that builds on previous rodent studies where DMT—in repeated doses or even a single dose—helped restore neurogenesis markers in stressed animals. It also aligns with recent clinical interest in the compound for treatment-resistant depression, a field still under investigation, though the mechanistic link between these two lines of evidence remains, for now, a plausible hypothesis rather than an established fact. As with the rest of the psychedelics field, it is essential to distinguish between what happens in a culture dish and what is known—and what remains unknown—about the brain of someone taking ayahuasca in a ritual, therapeutic, or personal setting.
Source
- The Conversation Brasil. “Psicodélico presente na ayahuasca pode ajudar o cérebro a produzir novos neurônios,” covering the study by S. Rehen and J. A. Salerno, “Proliferative Effects of the Psychedelic N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in Human Neural Stem Cells” (ACS Chemical Neuroscience). The Conversation, July 23, 2026.
Educational content written from a harm reduction perspective and with respect for individual freedom. It is not a substitute for advice from a healthcare professional and is not intended to encourage or condemn any drug use.
