Long-term ayahuasca use is associated with preserved global cognitive function and improved memory: a cross-sectional study with ritual users.
Arilton Martins Fonseca, Rafael Guimarães Dos Santos, Lívia Soman de Medeiros, Thiago André Moura Veiga, Fernando Cassas, Carla Poleselli Bruniera, Giordano Novak Rossi, José Carlos Bouso, Jaime E Cecílio Hallak, Fabiana Pereira Santos, Beatriz Aparecida Passos Bismara Paranhos, Mauricio Yonamine, Eliana Rodrigues
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience March 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01817-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 48 |
| Population | Experienced and beginner ayahuasca users from the Centro Luz Divina, a Santo Daime church in Brazil, and a matched control group |
| Intervention | ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Banisteriopsis caapi Psychotria viridis Cognition Santo daime Ayahuasca yage Caapi tea Mental performance Traditional medicine ethnobotany Indigenous medicine Plant medicine Memory recall Retention Remembering |
| Citations | 10 |
| Key findings | Long-term ayahuasca use was associated with higher scores on working memory tasks compared to short-term use, with no evidence of cognitive decline. |
Abstract
Although several studies have been conducted to elucidate the relationship between psychedelic consumption and cognition, few have focused on understanding the long-term use influence of these substances on these variables, especially in ritualistic contexts. To verify the influence of ritualistic ayahuasca consumption on the cognition of experienced ayahuasca religious users (> 20 years) and beginners (< 3 years), which participated in rituals of the Centro Luz Divina (CLD), a Santo Daime church in Brazil. Observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study was carried out in which 48 people participated divided into three groups: (a) experienced ayahuasca users (n = 16), (b) beginner ayahuasca users (n = 16) and (c) control group (n = 16). All groups were matched by sex, age, and education and contained 8 women and 8 men. Cognition was assessed with the WASI (intelligence quotient), Digit Span (verbal working memory), Corsi Block-Tapping Task (visuospatial-related and working memory), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure test (visual perception, immediate memory), and Wisconsin Card Sorting and Five Digit Test (executive functions). Groups were homogenous in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, with participants presenting average intellectual performance. There was no evidence of cognitive decline amongst ayahuasca users. The experienced group showed higher scores compared to the less experienced group in the Digit Span and Corsi Block-Tapping tasks, which assess working verbal and visuospatial memories respectively. We confirmed the botanical identities of Psychotria viridis and Banisteriopsis caapi and the presence of the alkaloids both in the plants and in the brew. Short and long-term ayahuasca consumption does not seem to alter human cognition, while long-term use seems to be associated with improvements in aspects of working memory when compared with short-term use.
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey of subjective "God encounter experiences": Comparisons among naturally occurring experiences and those occasioned by the classic psychedelics psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca, or DMT Adults reporting a single most memorable God encounter experience, either nondrug or... | 2019 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 4,285 |
| Adverse effects of ayahuasca: Results from the Global Ayahuasca Survey. Ayahuasca users from more than 50 countries who completed an online survey | 2022 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 10,836 |
| Ayahuasca in adolescence: a preliminary psychiatric assessment. Adolescents from a Brazilian ayahuasca sect and matched controls | 2005 | Controlled cross-sectional study | n = 80 |
| Psychological and neuropsychological assessment of regular hoasca users. Regular hoasca users from a U.S. branch of União do Vegetal and matched non-user controls | 2016 | Cross-sectional study | n = 57 |
| Indoleamine Hallucinogens in Cluster Headache: Results of the Clusterbusters Medication Use Survey People with cluster headache | 2015 | Cross-sectional survey | n = 496 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 11
- Ayahuasca Pretreatment Prevents Sepsis-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Oxidative Stress, and Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Molecular Neurobiology May 1, 2025
- Sporadic use of classic psychedelics and neuropsychological performance: A cross-sectional analysis. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry April 2, 2025
- A new insight into ayahuasca's adverse effects: Reanalysis and perspectives on its mediating role in mental health from the Global Ayahuasca Survey (GAS). PLOS mental health 2025
- Evaluation of the Effects of Different Doses of Ayahuasca on Intelligence and Verbal Memory in Healthy Volunteers Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology October 19, 2026
- Psychoplastogens to Reduce Persistent Cognitive Symptoms for Traumatic Brain Injury as a Chronic Condition Journal of Neurotrauma October 19, 2026
and 6 more in the library
Cites 37
- Psychedelics Promote Structural and Functional Neural Plasticity Cell Reports June 1, 2018
- Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial Psychological Medicine June 15, 2018
- Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca: Subjective and Cardiovascular Effects, Monoamine Metabolite Excretion, and Pharmacokinetics Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics June 18, 2003
- Psilocybin therapy increases cognitive and neural flexibility in patients with major depressive disorder. Translational Psychiatry November 8, 2021
- Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease February 1, 1996
and 32 more in the library