Several speculative and yet untested hypotheses suggest that endogenous DMT is produced in the human brain and is involved in certain psychological and neurological states. DMT is naturally occurring in small amounts in rat brain, human cerebrospinal fluid, and other tissues of humans and other mammals.

What part of the brain secretes DMT?

Some experts believe the pineal gland produces it in the brain and releases it when we dream. Others believe it's released during birth and death. Some go further to say this release of DMT at death may be responsible for those mystical near-death experiences you sometimes hear about.

Does the pineal gland produce DMT?

It seems clear that DMT can be produced in the body, as well as by the pineal gland, in extremely tiny amounts (Barker et al., 2012, 2013), but the more important issue is whether those amounts are sufficient to affect human physiology. The pineal gland has a long and mythical history.