Brain scans reveal impact of ayahuasca and DMT on perception and consciousness.

Brain scans of individuals injected with DMT, the psychedelic compound found in ayahuasca, reveal a profound impact across the brain, particularly in areas that are highly evolved in humans and instrumental in planning, language, memory, complex decision-making, and imagination. The regions from which we conjure reality become hyperconnected, with communication more chaotic, fluid, and flexible. The ability to make brain activity more fluid and flexible is thought to underpin not only the profound psychedelic experience but the promising results from early clinical trial patients who were given DMT in combination with psychotherapy to treat depression.