science

N-Methyltryptamine

N-Methyltryptamine is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand N-Methyltryptamine rather than just read about it. In short: N-Methyltryptamine (NMT), also known as monomethyltryptamine, is a chemical compound of the tryptamine family and a naturally occurring compound found in various plants and animals, including humans. It is biosynthesized in humans from tryptamine by certain N-methyltransferase enzymes, such as indolethylamine N-methyltransferase.

Key takeaways

N-Methyltryptamine belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect N-Methyltryptamine to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of N-Methyltryptamine from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

N-Methyltryptamine (NMT), also known as monomethyltryptamine, is a chemical compound of the tryptamine family and a naturally occurring compound found in various plants and animals, including humans. It is biosynthesized in humans from tryptamine by certain N-methyltransferase enzymes, such as indolethylamine N-methyltransferase. It is a known component of human urine. NMT is an alkaloid derived from L-tryptophan that has been found in the bark, shoots and leaves of several plant genera, including Virola, Acacia, Mimosa, and Desmanthus—often together with the related compounds N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT). NMT acts as a serotonin receptor agonist and serotonin releasing agent and is said to produce hallucinogenic effects in humans.

Use and effects Orally administered NMT appears to produce no psychoactive effects, likely as a result of extensive first-pass metabolism. According to Roger W. Brimblecombe and colleagues, NMT is inactive in humans, with few details provided. On the other hand, according to reports given to Alexander Shulgin and by others, NMT is active via non-oral routes. It has been said to produce psychedelic effects at doses of 50 to 120 mg by smoking or vaporization, with a duration of seconds to minutes. Based on preliminary reports, NMT is reported to produce visuals, but its effects are described as primarily spatial in nature, among other effects. NMT has also been reported to be orally active in combination with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI).

Interactions

Pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics

NMT is known to act as a potent serotonin 5-HT2A receptor full agonist. It has been reported to be inactive in activating the β-arrestin2 pathway of the receptor and hence appears to be a biased agonist of the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor. The drug does not seem to be an agonist of the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor. On the other hand, it is also a serotonin receptor agonist in the rat uterus and stomach strip. In addition to its serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonism, NMT is a potent serotonin releasing agent. It also releases dopamine and norepinephrine, though much more weakly (14- and 33-fold less than for serotonin, respectively). NMT has also been evaluated for binding affinity at the sigma σ1 and sigma σ2 receptors. It's affinity towards both sigma receptors is intermediate between the unmethylated tryptamine and the fully dimethylated DMT.

Pharmacokinetics NMT undergoes oxidative deamination by monoamine oxidase (MAO), particularly MAO-A, which preferentially metabolizes serotonin and tryptamine derivatives. The intermediate methylation state of NMT makes it a substrate for further N-methylation to DMT by amine N-methyltransferase (INMT).

Chemistry

Synthesis The chemical synthesis of NMT has been described.

Analogues Analogues of NMT include N-ethyltryptamine (NET), methylethyltryptamine (MET), and dimethyltryptamine (DMT), among others.

Natural occurrence NMT is naturally occurring in Acacia species like Acacia confusa (1.63%; Buchanan et al., 2007), Acacia obtusifolia (up to two-thirds of total alkaloid content), and Acacia simplicifolia (A. simplex; 1.44% in bark, 0.29% twigs; Pouet et al., 1976) and Desmanthus illinoensis (major component seasonally).

History NMT was encountered as a novel designer drug by 2014.

Society and culture

Legal status

Canada NMT is not a controlled substance in Canada.

United States In the United States, NMT is considered a schedule 1 controlled substance as an positional isomer of α-methyltryptamine (AMT).

See also Substituted tryptamine List of investigational hallucinogens and entactogens

References

External links NMT - Isomer Design NMT - TiHKAL - Erowid NMT - TiHKAL - Isomer Design N-Methyltryptamine (NMT) - Trout's Notes

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with N-Methyltryptamine

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what N-Methyltryptamine claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to N-Methyltryptamine before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about N-Methyltryptamine ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of N-Methyltryptamine

In research: N-Methyltryptamine appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses N-Methyltryptamine in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: N-Methyltryptamine is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 5-HT2A agonists, Biased ligands, Designer drugs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for N-Methyltryptamine outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study N-Methyltryptamine in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what N-Methyltryptamine means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain N-Methyltryptamine out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is N-Methyltryptamine in simple terms?

Why does N-Methyltryptamine matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study N-Methyltryptamine?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on N-Methyltryptamine.