Effects of Long-Term Ayahuasca Administration on Memory and Anxiety in Rats
Vanessa Manchim Favaro, Maurı́cio Yonamine, Juliana Carlota Kramer Soares, Maria Gabriela Menezes Oliveira
PLoS One December 30, 2015 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145840 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Animal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Dose | 120, 240 and 480 mg/kg |
| Duration | 30-day daily oral administration |
| Topics | Anxiety Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Pharmacology Hallucinogen Elevated plus maze |
| Citations | 33 |
| Key points | Long-term ayahuasca administration at 120 mg/kg increased contextual conditioned fear response in rats without affecting Morris water maze or elevated plus maze performance. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic beverage that combines the action of the 5-HT2A/2C agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria viridis with the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) induced by beta-carbonyls from Banisteriopsis caapi. Previous investigations have highlighted the involvement of ayahuasca with the activation of brain regions known to be involved with episodic memory, contextual associations and emotional processing after ayahuasca ingestion. Moreover long term users show better performance in neuropsychological tests when tested in off-drug condition. This study evaluated the effects of long-term administration of ayahuasca on Morris water maze (MWM), fear conditioning and elevated plus maze (EPM) performance in rats. Behavior tests started 48h after the end of treatment. Freeze-dried ayahuasca doses of 120, 240 and 480 mg/kg were used, with water as the control. Long-term administration consisted of a daily oral dose for 30 days by gavage. The behavioral data indicated that long-term ayahuasca administration did not affect the performance of animals in MWM and EPM tasks. However the dose of 120 mg/kg increased the contextual conditioned fear response for both background and foreground fear conditioning. The tone conditioned response was not affected after long-term administration. In addition, the increase in the contextual fear response was maintained during the repeated sessions several weeks after training. Taken together, these data showed that long-term ayahuasca administration in rats can interfere with the contextual association of emotional events, which is in agreement with the fact that the beverage activates brain areas related to these processes.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on ayahuasca for anxiety, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Changes Over Time Following Ayahuasca Exposure in Zebrafish Adult zebrafish | 2017 | Experimental study | n = 70 |
| Antidepressant and anxiolytic-like effects of ayahuasca in rats subjected to LPS-induced neuroinflammation Male rats, about 90 days old | 2022 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 80 |
| An ontogenic study of the behavioral effects of chronic intermittent exposure to ayahuasca in mice C57BL/6 mice | 2017 | Animal study | |
| Psychedelics: A review of their effects on recalled aversive memories and fear/anxiety expression in rodents Rodents | 2024 | Review | |
| Ayahuasca Pretreatment Prevents Sepsis-Induced Anxiety-Like Behavior, Neuroinflammation, and Oxidative Stress, and Increases Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. Rats | 2025 | Animal study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 26
- Effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine on Rat Behaviors Relevant to Anxiety and Depression ACS Chemical Neuroscience April 17, 2018
- Serotonin 2A receptors are a stress response system: implications for post-traumatic stress disorder. Behavioural Pharmacology April 1, 2019
- Effects of the Naturalβ-Carboline Alkaloid Harmine, a Main Constituent of Ayahuasca, in Memory and in the Hippocampus: A Systematic Literature Review of Preclinical Studies Journal of Psychoactive Drugs December 5, 2016
- Ayahuasca: Uses, Phytochemical and Biological Activities Natural Products and Bioprospecting May 27, 2019
- Ayahuasca, a psychedelic beverage, modulates neuroplasticity induced by ethanol in mice Behavioural Brain Research August 23, 2021
and 21 more in the library
Cites 12
- Human Psychopharmacology of Hoasca, A Plant Hallucinogen Used in Ritual Context in Brazil The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease February 1, 1996
- Personality, Psychopathology, Life Attitudes and Neuropsychological Performance among Ritual Users of Ayahuasca: A Longitudinal Study PLoS One August 8, 2012
- Clinical investigations of the therapeutic potential of ayahuasca: rationale and regulatory challenges. Pharmacology & Therapeutics May 1, 2004
- Increased frontal and paralimbic activation following ayahuasca, the pan-amazonian inebriant Psychopharmacology March 30, 2006
- Seeing with the eyes shut: Neural basis of enhanced imagery following ayahuasca ingestion Human Brain Mapping September 16, 2011
and 7 more in the library