Molecules
April 29, 2020
Gabriela de Oliveira Silveira, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Felipe Rebello Lourenço et al.
36 citations
Ayahuasca tea is a hallucinogenic beverage used for religious purposes in Brazil and many other countries that has therapeutic potential in the treatment of some mental health disorders. In the context of psychedelic research, quantification of the tea’s main alkaloids prior to its administration in animal or human studies is essential. For this reason, this study aims to provide information...
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
April 1, 2020
José Carlos Bouso, I. Fornís, Mireia Ventura et al.
15 citations
Background: Therapeutic properties of ibogaine in the treatment of addiction are attracting both clinicians and patients to its use. Since ibogaine is not an authorized medicine, the quality of these products is not always known, increasing the probability of adverse reactions. Objective: This study collects different types of iboga-derived samples from treatment providers, vendors and online...
Scientific Reports
March 5, 2020
José Carlos Bouso, Daniel Jiménez‐garrido, María de Lourdes Gómez-sousa et al.
111 citations
Abstract Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic decoction used as a traditional medicine in several Amazonian regions. The ritualistic use of ayahuasca has spread throughout many countries, making it necessary to study its risks and benefits. Two sub-studies were designed for this investigation. In sub-study 1, a psychiatric interview and a battery of questionnaires were administered to subjects (n =...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
November 19, 2019
Richard J. Zeifman, Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Jaime E. C. Hallak et al.
79 citations
Suicide is a major public health problem. Given increasing suicide rates and limitations surrounding current interventions, there is an urgent need for innovative interventions for suicidality. Although ayahuasca has been shown to target mental health concerns associated with suicidality (i.e., depression and hopelessness), research has not yet explored the impact of ayahuasca on suicidality....
BMC Psychiatry
October 28, 2019
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Jaime E. C. Hallak
17 citations
In a recent issue of the BMC Psychiatry, the evidence of effectiveness of treatments for psychiatric conditions in end-stage cancer patients was reviewed (Johnson, 2018). The review was comprehensive, and included traditional and non-traditional/alternative treatments, including herbal medicines and spirituality. However, evidence showing that classic or serotonergic hallucinogens/psychedelics...
Epilepsy & Behavior
June 7, 2019
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jaime E. C. Hallak
58 citations
Ayahuasca is a botanical hallucinogenic preparation traditionally used for ritual and therapeutic purposes by native populations of the Northwestern Amazon. In the last decades, ayahuasca use has spread to Europe, the United States, Asia, and Africa, and interest in the possible therapeutic uses of ayahuasca for treating anxiety and mood disorder and substance-use disorders has increased both...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
March 1, 2019
Giordano Novak Rossi, Eduardo José Crevelin, Gabriela de Oliveira Silveira et al.
10 citations
Background and aims The psychoactive capacity of the alkaloid N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) has been known for decades, and its presence in beverages used in religious contexts around the world – such as ayahuasca – has attracted growing attention from the scientific community due to its possible anxiolytic and antidepressant effects. Mimosa hostilis, popularly known as jurema preta in Brazil,...
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
February 7, 2019
Genís Ona, Maja Kohek, Tomàs Massaguer et al.
76 citations
Assessing the health status of ayahuasca users has been challenging due to the limitations involved in randomized clinical trials and psychometric approaches. The main objective of this study is the implementation of an approach based on public health indicators. We developed a self-administered questionnaire that was administered to long-term ayahuasca users around Spain. The questionnaire was...
Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology
2019
Juliana Mendes Rocha, Flávia de Lima Osório, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
44 citations
Background: Recognition of emotions in facial expressions (REFE) is a key aspect of social cognition. Anxiety and mood disorders are associated with deficits in REFE, and anxiolytics and antidepressants reverse these deficits. Recent studies have shown that serotonergic hallucinogens (i.e. ayahuasca, dimethyltryptamine, psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide [LSD], and mescaline) have...
Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry
November 21, 2018
Flávia S. Da Silva, Erick Allan Dos Santos Silva, Geovan Menezes de Sousa et al.
46 citations
OBJECTIVE: The incidence rate of major depression in adolescents reaches approximately 14%. This disorder is usually recurrent, without remission of symptoms even after pharmacological treatment, and persists throughout adult life. Since the effects of antidepressants take approximately 2 weeks to begin, new pharmacological therapies are under continuous exploration. Recent evidence suggests...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
October 19, 2018
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Flávia de Lima Osório et al.
9 citations
dos Santos, Rafael Guimarães PhD; Crippa, José Alexandre MD, PhD; Osório, Flávia de Lima PhD; Rocha, Juliana M. BSc; Rossi, Giordano Novak BSc; Marchioni, Camila BSc; Queiroz, Maria Eugênia Costa PhD; Silveira, Gabriela O. BSc; Yonamine, Mauricio PhD; Hallak, Jaime Eduardo Cecilio MD, PhD Author Information
Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology
August 13, 2018
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Miguel Ángel Alcázar‐córcoles et al.
231 citations
Mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders in the population. Although several pharmacological treatments are available, they are not effective for a significant proportion of patients and are associated with several adverse reactions. Therefore, new treatments should be explored. Recent studies suggest that serotonergic...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
July 25, 2018
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Scotty Enyart, José Carlos Bouso et al.
18 citations
Aphantasia ("blind imagination") is a poorly described condition with an uncertain etiology, characterized by reduced or lack of voluntary visual imagery. Preliminary evidence in humans suggests that hallucinogenic or psychedelic drugs that act as agonists of cortical 5-HT2A receptors [lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, and dimethyltryptamine (DMT)] enhance visual imagery. Interview and...
Psychological Medicine
June 15, 2018
Fernanda Palhano-Fontes, Dayanna Barreto, Heloisa Onias et al.
827 citations
Abstract Background Recent open-label trials show that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, hold promise as fast-onset antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression. Methods To test the antidepressant effects of ayahuasca, we conducted a parallel-arm, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial in 29 patients with treatment-resistant depression. Patients received a single dose of either...
ACS Chemical Neuroscience
June 4, 2018
Marc Aixalà, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Jaime E. C. Hallak et al.
14 citations
In the past decade, an increasing number of clinical trials are reporting evidence that psychedelics or serotonergic hallucinogens (such as lysergic acid diethylamide, psilocybin, and ayahuasca/dimethyltryptamine) could be effective in the treatment of mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. The mechanisms responsible for these effects are not fully understood but seem to involve changes in...
Current Neuropharmacology
March 2, 2018
Jonathan Hamill, Jaime E. C. Hallak, Serdar Dursun et al.
179 citations
Background: Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian decoction with psychoactive properties, is made from bark of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine (containing beta-carboline alkaloids) and leaves of the Psychotria viridis bush (supplying the hallucinogen N,N-dimethyltryptamine, DMT). Originally used by indigenous shamans for the purposes of spirit communication, magical experiences, healing, and...
Scientific Reports
February 28, 2018
Will Lawn, Jaime E. C. Hallak, José A. Crippa et al.
3 citations
A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
February 13, 2018
José Carlos Bouso, Rafael G. Dos Santos, Miguel Ángel Alcázar‐córcoles et al.
135 citations
Serotonergic psychedelics act as agonists at cortical 5-HT2A receptors and seem to induce personality changes. We conducted a systematic review of studies assessing the effects of these drugs on personality. Papers published from 1985-2016 were included from PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases. Three hundred and sixty-nine studies were identified, and 18 were included. Specific personality...
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
February 1, 2018
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Rafael Faria Sanches, Flávia de Lima Osório et al.
37 citations
Abstract Background Ayahuasca is a botanical hallucinogenic preparation traditionally used by indigenous populations of Northwestern Amazonian countries for ritual and therapeutic purposes. It is rich in β-carboline alkaloids and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Preclinical, observational, and experimental studies suggest that ayahuasca and its alkaloids have anxiolytic and antidepressive effects....
Scientific Reports
November 3, 2017
Will Lawn, Jaime E. C. Hallak, José Alexandre S. Crippa et al.
78 citations
Abstract Ayahuasca is a natural psychedelic brew, which contains dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Its potential as a psychiatric medicine has recently been demonstrated and its non-medical use around the world appears to be growing. We aimed to investigate well-being and problematic alcohol use in ayahuasca users, and ayahuasca’s subjective effects. An online, self-selecting, global survey examining...
Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo)
August 1, 2017
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Jaime E. C. Hallak
15 citations
Abstract Background Ayahuasca is a psychoactive ethnobotanical concoction that has been used for decades by indigenous groups of the Northwestern Amazon and by syncretic religious organizations for ritual and therapeutic purposes. In the last two decades, it is being used worldwide in evolving practices. Ayahuasca seem to therapeutic effects, but controlled studies are lacking. Moreover, its...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
June 21, 2017
Rafael Naime Ruggiero, Matheus Teixeira Rossignoli, Jana Batista de Ross et al.
37 citations
Much of our knowledge of the endocannabinoid system in schizophrenia comes from behavioral measures in rodents, like prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle and open-field locomotion, which are commonly used along with neurochemical approaches or drug challenge designs. Such methods continue to map fundamental mechanisms of sensorimotor gating, hyperlocomotion, social interaction, and...
The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology
May 17, 2017
Frederic Sampedro, Mario de la Fuente Revenga, Marta Valle et al.
205 citations
Background: Ayahuasca is a plant tea containing the psychedelic 5-HT2A agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmala monoamine-oxidase inhibitors. Acute administration leads to neurophysiological modifications in brain regions of the default mode network, purportedly through a glutamatergic mechanism. Post-acutely, ayahuasca potentiates mindfulness capacities in volunteers and induces rapid and...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
May 11, 2017
Antônio Waldo Zuardi, Natália Pegoraro Rodrigues, Angélica L. Silva et al.
292 citations
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the anxiolytic effect of cannabidiol (CBD) in humans follows the same pattern of an inverted U-shaped dose-effect curve observed in many animal studies. Sixty healthy subjects of both sexes aged between 18 and 35 years were randomly assigned to five groups that received placebo, clonazepam (1 mg), and CBD (100, 300, and 900 mg). The subjects...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
April 1, 2017
Rafael G. Dos Santos, José Carlos Bouso, Jaime E. C. Hallak
36 citations
Ibogaine is a naturally occurring hallucinogenic alkaloid with a therapeutic potential for reducing drug craving and withdrawal. To the best of our knowledge, no systematic review was previously performed assessing these effects. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review of human studies assessing the antiaddictive effects of ibogaine. Papers published up to July 2, 2016 were included...