Frontiers in Psychiatry
December 5, 2022
Geovan Menezes de Sousa, Vagner Deuel de Oliveira Tavares, Ana Cecília de Menezes Galvão et al.
14 citations
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 72 participants, ayahuasca's effects on depression-related biomarkers were examined two days after dosing. Larger reductions in depressive symptoms during the session were linked to higher serum cortisol levels in patients with treatment-resistant depression. Smaller changes in salivary cortisol during ayahuasca use were associated with higher brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in patients who showed greater clinical improvement in depressive symptoms. No moderating effects were found for the cortisol awakening response, interleukin-6, or C-reactive protein in patients, nor for any biomarker in healthy controls or the placebo group. The findings suggest that acute emotional and physiological responses during ayahuasca sessions may influence key biomarkers of depression.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
August 1, 2024
Eduardo Igor Torquato Cardoso Lopes, Patrícia Cavalcanti-Ribeiro, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes et al.
9 citations
Subcutaneous esketamine injections given weekly for eight weeks produced a rapid and lasting reduction in suicidality among 18 adults with treatment-resistant depression. Suicidal thoughts dropped within 24 hours after the first dose and remained low throughout the eight-week treatment period. At six months after treatment ended, suicidality was still consistently lower. Clinician ratings showed significant improvement only after two sessions, and 61% of patients achieved remission from suicidal ideation. The findings suggest that weekly subcutaneous esketamine may be a cost-effective way to achieve fast and sustained anti-suicide effects, but controlled studies are needed to confirm these initial observations.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
Vagner Deuel O de Tavares, Kaike Thiê da Costa Gonçalves, Maria Luiza de Morais Barros et al.
1 citation
A meta-analysis of eleven studies found no significant correlation between the psychoactive (psychomimetic) effects of ketamine and clinical outcomes in mental illness, including depression. The overall correlation was r = 0.06, and for depression specifically r = 0.03, both non-significant. Sub-analyses accounting for patient disorders, intravenous administration, assessment instruments, and timing also yielded no significant findings. High heterogeneity was present. The analysis suggests that altered states of consciousness during ketamine sessions are not directly linked to clinical outcomes, but the limited number of studies and heterogeneity make this conclusion preliminary.
Journal of Psychiatric Research
July 1, 2026
K S de Freitas Goncalves, Vagner Deuel de O Tavares, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes et al.
In patients with treatment-resistant depression receiving up to eight weekly subcutaneous doses of esketamine, those who responded to treatment (≥50% reduction in MADRS scores) showed significantly higher levels of dissociation, particularly derealization, compared with non-responders. Depersonalization and amnesia scores also tended to be higher among responders, though these differences were not statistically significant. The authors suggest that dissociative experiences, especially derealization, may be clinically relevant correlates of antidepressant outcomes, but note that further prospective studies with larger samples and dose-controlled designs are needed before clinical utility can be established.
Current Psychology
June 1, 2026
Geovan Menezes de Sousa, Geissy Lainny de Lima-Araújo, Vagner Deuel de Oliveira Tavares et al.
Adults with major depressive disorder who report higher levels of dispositional mindfulness—the tendency to attend to present-moment experiences with openness and awareness—show fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms, better sleep quality, and higher self-esteem compared to those with lower trait mindfulness. In a cross-sectional study of 97 adults diagnosed with MDD, two clusters emerged: a High Trait group and a Low Trait group. The High Trait group had significantly lower depressive symptoms (d = 0.795) and anxiety symptoms (d = 0.739), and higher self-esteem (d = -0.586) and sleep quality (d = 0.460). These results suggest trait mindfulness may protect against poor mental health in depression.