International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
91 papers in the library · 4,302 citations · publishing 0-2026
Natural Product Research May 1, 2023 Genís Ona, Maja Kohek, José Carlos Bouso 2 citations
Can the emerging field of psychedelic research benefit from natural product research? We believe it can. In this manuscript we delineate certain topics of research with hallucinogens that directly connect with research on natural products in general.
Psychoactives March 20, 2023 Guilherme Henrique de Morais Santos, Lucas Silva Rodrigues, Juliana Mendes Rocha et al. 6 citations
Background: Ayahuasca is a serotoninergic hallucinogen that plays a central role in the Amazonian traditional medicine. Its psychoactive effects are associated with the presence of N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO-A). Advances in neuroimaging investigations have provided insight into ayahuasca’s neurobiological mechanisms of action. Methods: Selecting only...
Drug and Alcohol Review February 1, 2023 Borja J Rodríguez-cano, Maja Kohek, Genís Ona et al. 17 citations
Ibogaine is one of the alkaloids naturally found in plants such as Tabernanthe iboga, which has been traditionally used by members of the Bwiti culture. Since the discovery of its anti-addictive properties by Howard S. Lotsof in 1962, ibogaine has been used experimentally to treat substance use disorders (SUD), especially those involving opioids. We aim to provide a detailed understanding of...
Biomolecules November 2, 2022 Giordano Novak Rossi, Lorena T. L. Guerra, Glen B. Baker et al. 29 citations
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in indigenous and religious rituals and ceremonies in South America for its therapeutic, psychedelic, and entheogenic effects. It is usually prepared by lengthy boiling of the leaves of the bush Psychotria viridis and the mashed stalks of the vine Banisteriopsis caapi in water. The former contains the classical psychedelic...
Transcultural Psychiatry October 1, 2022 Genís Ona, Ali Berrada, José Carlos Bouso 28 citations
The Global Mental Health (GMH) movement aims to provide urgently needed treatment to those with mental illness, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Due to the complexity of providing mental health services to people from various cultures, there is much debate among GMH advocates regarding the best way to proceed. While biomedical interventions offer some degree of help,...
Psychoactives September 2, 2022 Genís Ona, Dóra Révész, Maja Kohek et al. 9 citations
The COVID-19 pandemic has made evident the need to develop effective strategies to cushion the psychological consequences of social catastrophes. Preliminary evidence suggests that the use of hallucinogens is a protective factor that mitigates against such stressors. However, the underlying mechanisms must be further explored. This study specifically focused on the potential role of coping...
Journal of Psychopharmacology August 1, 2022 Javier Hidalgo Jiménez, José Carlos Bouso 34 citations
N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is a potent psychedelic naturally produced by many plants and animals, including humans. Whether or not DMT is significant to mammalian physiology, especially within the central nervous system, is a debate that started in the early 1960s and continues to this day. This review integrates historical and recent literature to clarify this issue, giving special attention...
Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research July 26, 2022 Alberto Sainz-Cort, Daniel Jiménez‐garrido, Elena Muñoz Marrón et al. 9 citations
Background: Social cognition abilities such as empathy and the Theory of Mind (ToM) have been shown to be impaired in neuropsychiatric conditions such as psychotic, autistic, and bipolar disorders. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) seems to play a role in social behavior and emotional processing while it also seems to play a role in those neuropsychiatric conditions showing social cognition...
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience June 1, 2022 Lucas Silva Rodrigues, Giordano Novak Rossi, Juliana Mendes Rocha et al. 48 citations
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic/psychedelic traditionally used for ritual and therapeutic purposes. One such therapeutic use is related to Substance Use Disorders (SUDs). A previous systematic review of preclinical and human studies published until 2016 suggested that ayahuasca and its alkaloids have therapeutic effects in the treatment of SUDs. To conduct an update of this previous review. A...
Psychopharmacology June 1, 2022 Genís Ona, Juliana Mendes Rocha, José Carlos Bouso et al. 41 citations
Ibogaine is the main alkaloid of the African shrub Tabernanthe iboga. It produces hallucinogenic and psychostimulant effects, but it is currently known for the anti-addictive properties. Despite the potential therapeutic effects, several cases of fatalities and serious adverse events related to ibogaine/noribogaine use can be found in the literature. Most studies consist in case reports or were...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs May 28, 2022 Maja Kohek, Genís Ona, Michiel van Elk et al. 25 citations
Ayahuasca is a plant decoction in traditional Amazonian medicine. Its ritual use has been internationalized, leading to policy challenges that countries should address. This study evaluates the impact of regular ayahuasca ceremony participation on health by assessing the health status of 377 participants in ayahuasca ceremonies in the Netherlands using validated health indicators. A...
Expert Opinion on Drug Safety March 18, 2022 Giordano Novak Rossi, Isabella Caroline Da Silva Dias, Glen B. Baker et al. 17 citations
There were no reports of serious AEs, indicating a relative safety of ayahuasca administration in controlled settings. Most common AEs included nausea, vomiting, headaches, and transient increases in cardiovascular measurements. Ayahuasca research is still in its infancy, especially concerning the absence of large and robust clinical trials to verify its antidepressant effects. Dose...
Human Psychopharmacology Clinical and Experimental February 2, 2022 Rafael G. Dos Santos, Juliana Mendes Rocha, Giordano Novak Rossi et al. 20 citations
Abstract Objective To assess endocannabinoid (anandamide, AEA; 2‐arachidonoylglycerol, 2‐AG) plasma levels in healthy volunteers and in volunteers with social anxiety disorder (SAD) after a single oral dose of ayahuasca or placebo. Methods Post hoc analysis of endocannabinoid plasma levels (baseline, 90 and 240 min after drug intake) from two parallel‐group, randomized, placebo‐controlled...
PLOS global public health 2022 José Carlos Bouso, Óscar Andión, Jerome Sarris et al. 115 citations
Ayahuasca is a plant-based decoction native to Amazonia, where it has a long history of use in traditional medicine. Contemporary ritual use of ayahuasca has been expanding throughout the world for mental health purposes, and for spiritual and personal growth. Although researchers have been conducting clinical trials and observational studies reporting medical and psychological benefits, most...
Frontiers in Psychiatry 2022 Otto Simonsson, José Carlos Bouso, Florian Kurth et al. 6 citations
Recent research suggests that ayahuasca and its alkaloid-containing ingredients may be helpful in the treatment and prevention of certain movement and neurodegenerative disorders. However, such research is still in its infancy and more studies in normative samples seem necessary to explore effects of ayahuasca on clinically relevant brain structures, such as the corpus callosum. The purpose of...
The International journal on drug policy December 1, 2021 Maja Kohek, Constanza Sánchez Avilés, Oriol Romaní et al. 14 citations
Cannabis is a plant with a rich history of medical, recreational, industrial and spiritual uses. This paper aims to explore drug use rituals as methods of community-controlled use that help maintain a self-regulated and healthy relation to the substance in questions. Furthermore, it explores how cannabis is used in developing spirituality and a sense of community. The ritual use of cannabis is...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology August 20, 2021 Alberto Sainz-Cort, Daniel Jiménez‐garrido, Elena Muñoz Marrón et al. 17 citations
BACKGROUND: Although δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main cannabinoid from the cannabis plant, is responsible for the psychotomimetic effects of cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD), the second most abundant cannabinoid in the cannabis plant, does not show any psychotomimetic effect. Cannabidiol has even been proposed to be antipsychotic and to counteract some of the psychotomimetic effects of THC....
Frontiers in Psychiatry August 6, 2021 Juliana Mendes Rocha, Giordano Novak Rossi, Flávia de Lima Osório et al. 37 citations
Rationale: Previous studies with the serotonergic hallucinogens LSD and psilocybin showed that these drugs induced changes in personality traits, such as increases in Openness. However, results are inconsistent, and the effects of ayahuasca on personality were never investigated in a controlled trial. Objectives: To assess the effects of ayahuasca on personality in two randomized,...
Drug and Alcohol Review July 25, 2021 Daniel Perkins, Emérita Sátiro Opaleye, Hana Šimonová et al. 54 citations
Abstract Introduction Emerging evidence suggests that psychedelic compounds, including the Amazonian botanical decoction ayahuasca, may provide clinical benefit in the treatment of alcohol or other drug use disorders. This study investigates associations between ayahuasca consumption in naturalistic settings and current alcohol and other drug use. Methods Online cross‐sectional study of people...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology June 23, 2021 Rafael G. Dos Santos, Flávia de Lima Osório, Juliana Mendes Rocha et al. 85 citations
Abstract Background Ayahuasca is a classic hallucinogen with anxiolytic and antidepressive properties. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that it improves performance (eg, singing, speech). This controlled trial assessed the effects of ayahuasca on speech performance and anxiety in individuals with social anxiety disorder. Methods Seventeen volunteers with social anxiety disorder participated in...
Frontiers in Psychiatry June 16, 2021 Dóra Révész, Genís Ona, Giordano Novak Rossi et al. 42 citations
Background: One of the main public health strategies adopted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic consisted of implementing strict lockdowns to stop the transmission of the virus. Despite being an effective measure, the confinement and the associated social isolation create a stressful, potentially lengthy situations that has been proven to have several psychological consequences. Given...
Frontiers in Pharmacology May 5, 2021 Débora González, Jordi Cantillo, Irene Hidalgo Pérez et al. 39 citations
Promoting well-being is one of the main goals to improve health in the world. We examined the well-being and quality of life over the course of one year in a sample that participated in an Indigenous Shipibo healing program where traditional healers work in a series of ayahuasca ceremonies. We also explored the role of decentering as a mediator of psychological well-being. Participants who...
Front Pharmacol April 21, 2021 Daniel Perkins, Violeta Schubert, Hana Šimonová et al. 73 citations
Influence of Context and Setting on the Mental Health and Wellbeing Outcomes of Ayahuasca Drinkers: Results of a Large International Survey.
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology April 13, 2021 Juliana Mendes Rocha, Giordano Novak Rossi, Flávia de Lima Osório et al. 46 citations
Abstract Background The recognition of emotions in facial expressions (REFE) is a core aspect of social cognition. Previous studies with the serotonergic hallucinogens lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin showed that these drugs reduced the recognition of negative (fear) faces in healthy volunteers. This trial assessed the acute and prolonged effects of a single dose of ayahuasca on the...
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy March 1, 2021 Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Juliana Mendes Rocha et al. 58 citations
Psychedelics or serotonergic hallucinogens are a group of substances that share the agonism of serotonergic 5-HT2A receptors as their main mechanism of action. Its main effects include changes in perception, cognitive process, and mood. Despite being used for centuries by different cultures in ritual contexts, these substances have currently aroused the interest of science and industry for...