DMT-HAR-MED: Effects of DMT and harmine during meditation: Functional MRI dataset

Abstract

# DMT-HAR-MED: Effects of DMT and harmine during meditation: Functional MRI dataset ## Dataset Overview This dataset contains raw and preprocessed structural and functional MRI data from a **double-blind, placebo-controlled, mixed-design** study investigating the effects of **N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)** and **harmine** on brain connectivity during a **3-day meditation retreat**. The dataset is organized according to the [BIDS specification](https://bids.neuroimaging.io/) (**version 1.10.1**). --- ## Study Description Forty healthy meditation practitioners participated in one of two structurally identical meditation retreats. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either **DMT + harmine** or **placebo** on the second retreat day. MRI scans were acquired at two time points: - **Pre-retreat** (baseline, functional) - **Post-retreat** (after pharmacological intervention, functional + anatomical) Throughout the retreat, participants engaged in daily meditation practice. Subjective experiences and psychological measures were assessed using validated questionnaires, including: - Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ) - Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment-State (NADA-S) - Toronto Mindfulness Scale (TMS) - Sussex-Oxford Compassion Scales (SOCS-S and SOCS-O) - Psychological Insight Scale (PIS) - Emotional Breakthrough Inventory (EBI) For full methodological details, please refer to the corresponding publications: > **Egger et al., 2025** — *Meditation, Psychedelics, and Brain Connectivity: A Randomised Controlled Resting-State fMRI Study of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Harmine in a Meditation Retreat.* Imaging Neuroscience (2025). https://doi.org/10.1162/IMAG.a.907 > **Meling et al., 2024** — *Meditating on psychedelics. A randomized placebo-controlled study of DMT and harmine in a mindfulness retreat.* Journal of Psychopharmacology (2024). https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811241282637 --- ## Participants - **Total participants:** 40 - **Group allocation:** 20 DMT + harmine, 20 placebo - **Sex distribution:** 22 male, 18 female --- ## Experimental Design - **Design:** Double-blind, placebo-controlled, mixed between- and within-subject design - **Retreat structure:** Two separate 3-day meditation retreats - **Conditions:** - Placebo - DMT + harmine (120 mg each, administered as four 30 mg tablets at 30-min intervals) - **Sessions:** - **Pre:** Baseline scans before retreat - **Post:** Follow-up scans after pharmacological intervention --- ## Data Overview The dataset includes: - **Raw structural and functional MRI data** - **resting-state scans** - **Participant-level metadata** (`participants.tsv`) - **Sidecar JSON files** with acquisition parameters - **fMRIPrep outputs** (version **23.0.2**) for preprocessed functional data - **Derivatives from physiological recordings** processed with the **physIO toolbox** --- ## Ethics & Approvals - Approved by the **Cantonal Ethics Committee of Zürich** (BASEC-ID: **2021-00180**) - Exemption granted by the **Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)** for DMT administration - Registered on **ClinicalTrials.gov**: [NCT05780216](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05780216) - All participants provided **written informed consent** --- ## License This dataset is released under the **Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC-BY-4.0)**. You are free to share, reuse, and adapt the data, **provided that you cite both the dataset and the corresponding publication**. --- ## How to Acknowledge When using these data, please cite **both**: **Dataset:** > Egger, K., Meling, D., & Scheidegger, M. (2025). *Effects of DMT and harmine during meditation: Functional MRI dataset* (Version 1.0.0) [Data set]. OpenNeuro. https://doi.org/10.18112/openneuro.ds006644.v1.0.0 **Publication:** > Egger, K., Meling, D., Polat, F., Seifritz, E., Avram, M., & Scheidegger, M. (2025). > *Meditation, Psychedelics, and Brain Connectivity: A Randomised Controlled Resting-State fMRI Study of N,N-Dimethyltr

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