so I finally got around to refuting this new age quackery http://www.acutcmdetox.com/tryptophan2.html with an email, which goes: "hi, I saw your web page reflecting the subject, and was very puzzled by "the chemistry of consciousness & re-awakening of spirit molecules". I see a theoretical pathway, but where are the enzymes? what are the EC numbers corresponding to these pathways? The currently accepted model for DMT production in the body (because the brain lacks mRNA transcripts for the expression of INMT, the methylator of tryptamine) suggests that DMT production actually inhibits serotonin production, so its synthesis would actually have to occur outside of the brain. but according to your model, melatonin metabolizes into pinoline, which metabolizes into 5-MeO-DMT, then DMT. what would be the enzyme that would demethoxylate the 5-position of 5-MeO-DMT? thanks. Ben" there are two issues that conflict with the pineal gland/DMT mind trip theories...the first is that there isn't a tryptamine methylating enzyme present in the brain... the second is that DMT is typically present in subnanomolar concentrations, about 200 times lower than those which would produce subjective effects. http://www.tripzine.com/pit/DMT_TA_anxiolytic.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16095048
anytime I actually had a naysayer on youtube call me an idiot, because I "didn't know how to access classified government documents". He was trying to claim that the government doesn't want people in the scientific community to know that the pineal gland has some top secret metabolic pathway which produces DMT.. LOL! but anyway.. the brain may not produce DMT, but it definitely processes its signals
