Ayahuasca has been proposed as a treatment for substance use disorders. However, because of its hallucinogenic properties, studies investigating its abuse potential are needed. The aim of the present study was to investigate voluntary ayahuasca drinking in male mice using a two-bottle choice procedure. Male mice were exposed to two bottles, one of water and one of ayahuasca (0.01, 0.03 or 0.1...
For decades, psychedelics have been investigated for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Specifically, evidence suggests that psychedelics may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of alcohol use disorder. Several studies with classic psychedelics, including LSD and psilocybin, show promising results, with psychedelics decreasing alcohol drinking and promoting abstinence in...
Treatment with ayahuasca during alcohol abstinence blocked the expression of alcohol self-administration in mice, and 5-HT2A receptor activation is critical for those effects to emerge. Our findings support a potential for ayahuasca and other 5-HT2A receptor agonists as adjunctive pharmacotherapies for the treatment of AUD.
Ibogaine is a psychedelic extracted from the plant Tabernanthe iboga Baill. (Apocynaceae), natural from Africa, and has been proposed as a potential treatment for substance use disorders. In animal models, ibogaine reduces ethanol self-administration. However, no study to date has investigated the effects of ibogaine on ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP). The present study aimed...
RationaleAccumulating evidence suggests that ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic beverage used in traditional Amazonian communities for ritualistic and curative purposes, has been associated with reduced rates of substance use disorders. However, the brain mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of ayahuasca have not yet been fully elucidated.ObjectivesThe aim of the present study was to...
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage produced from the decoction of Banisteriopsis caapi (Bc) and Psychotria viridis (Pv), β-carboline- and N,N-dimethyltryptamine(DMT)-containing plants, respectively. Accumulating evidence suggests that ayahuasca may have therapeutic effects on ethanol abuse. It is not known, however, whether its effects are dependent on the presence of DMT or if...
The aims of this study were to assess the impact of ceremonial use of ayahuasca-a psychedelic brew containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carboline -and attendance at União do Vegetal (UDV) meetings on substance abuse; here we report the findings related to alcohol and tobacco use disorder. A total of 1,947 members of UDV 18+ years old were evaluated in terms of years of membership and...
BackgroundHallucinogenic drugs were used to treat alcoholic patients in the past, and recent developments in the study of hallucinogens led to a renewal of interest regarding the application of these drugs in the treatment of addiction. In this scenario, accumulating evidence suggests that the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca (Aya) may have therapeutic effects on substance abuse problems.MethodsWe...
Drug and Alcohol DependenceNovember 1, 2011Roberta Procópio-Souza, Daniela F Fukushiro, Thaís F Trombin et al.
Behavioral sensitization in rodents is hypothesized to reflect neuronal adaptations that are related to drug addiction in humans. We evaluated the effects of group exposure on the acute hyperlocomotion and behavioral sensitization induced by four drugs of abuse in C57BL/6 mice: methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), d-amphetamine, morphine and ethanol. In the priming session, animals received an...