Daytime Ayahuasca administration modulates REM and slow-wave sleep in healthy volunteers
Manel J. Barbanoj, Jordi Riba, S. Clos, Sandra Giménez, Eva Grasa, Sergio Romero
Psychopharmacology November 20, 2007 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-007-0963-0 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 22 |
| Population | Healthy male volunteers |
| Interventions | Ayahuasca d-amphetamine |
| Dose | 1 mg DMT kg(-1) body weight |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Sleep system call Slow-wave sleep Behavioral sensitization Circadian rhythm Electroencephalography Central nervous system |
| Citations | 74 |
| Key findings | Ayahuasca did not impair subjective sleep quality or sleep initiation and maintenance, but reduced REM sleep and enhanced slow-wave sleep power, contrasting with d-amphetamine's disruptive effects. |
Abstract
ObjectivesAyahuasca is a traditional South American psychoactive beverage and the central sacrament of Brazilian-based religious groups, with followers in Europe and the United States. The tea contains the psychedelic indole N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and beta-carboline alkaloids with monoamine oxidase-inhibiting properties that render DMT orally active. DMT interacts with serotonergic neurotransmission acting as a partial agonist at 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor sites. Given the role played by serotonin in the regulation of the sleep/wake cycle, we investigated the effects of daytime ayahuasca consumption in sleep parameters.Measurements and resultsSubjective sleep quality, polysomnography (PSG), and spectral analysis were assessed in a group of 22 healthy male volunteers after the administration of a placebo, an ayahuasca dose equivalent to 1 mg DMT kg(-1) body weight, and 20 mg d-amphetamine, a proaminergic drug, as a positive control. Results show that ayahuasca did not induce any subjectively perceived deterioration of sleep quality or PSG-measured disruptions of sleep initiation or maintenance, in contrast with d-amphetamine, which delayed sleep initiation, disrupted sleep maintenance, induced a predominance of 'light' vs 'deep' sleep and significantly impaired subjective sleep quality. PSG analysis also showed that similarly to d-amphetamine, ayahuasca inhibits rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, decreasing its duration, both in absolute values and as a percentage of total sleep time, and shows a trend increase in its onset latency. Spectral analysis showed that d-amphetamine and ayahuasca increased power in the high frequency range, mainly during stage 2. Remarkably, whereas slow-wave sleep (SWS) power in the first night cycle, an indicator of sleep pressure, was decreased by d-amphetamine, ayahuasca enhanced power in this frequency band.ConclusionsResults show that daytime serotonergic psychedelic drug administration leads to measurable changes in PSG and sleep power spectrum and suggest an interaction between these drugs and brain circuits modulating REM and SWS.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2018 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 29 |
| Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca: Subjective and Cardiovascular Effects, Monoamine Metabolite Excretion, and Pharmacokinetics Volunteers with prior experience in the use of psychedelics | 2003 | Double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial | n = 18 |
| Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers Healthy male volunteers with prior experience using ayahuasca | 2001 | Single-blind crossover placebo-controlled clinical trial | n = 6 |
| Increased frontal and paralimbic activation following ayahuasca, the pan-amazonian inebriant Male volunteers with prior experience in the use of psychedelics | 2006 | Randomized controlled trial | n = 15 |
| Human brain effects of DMT assessed via EEG-fMRI. Healthy volunteers | 2023 | Within-subjects, placebo-controlled design | n = 20 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 54
- Neuropharmacology of N,N-dimethyltryptamine Brain Research Bulletin April 30, 2016
- Efficacy, tolerability, and safety of serotonergic psychedelics for the management of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders: a systematic review of systematic reviews Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology August 13, 2018
- Psychedelics in Psychiatry: Neuroplastic, Immunomodulatory, and Neurotransmitter Mechanisms Pharmacological Reviews December 16, 2020
- Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology August 1, 2016
- Ayahuasca: Psychological and Physiologic Effects, Pharmacology and Potential Uses in Addiction and Mental Illness Current Neuropharmacology March 2, 2018
and 49 more in the library
Cites 7
- Human Pharmacology of Ayahuasca: Subjective and Cardiovascular Effects, Monoamine Metabolite Excretion, and Pharmacokinetics Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics June 18, 2003
- Increased frontal and paralimbic activation following ayahuasca, the pan-amazonian inebriant Psychopharmacology March 30, 2006
- Topographic pharmaco‐EEG mapping of the effects of the South American psychoactive beverage ayahuasca in healthy volunteers British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology June 1, 2002
- Psychometric assessment of the Hallucinogen Rating Scale. Drug and Alcohol Dependence May 1, 2001
- Ecstasy (MDMA): a review of its possible persistent psychological effects Psychopharmacology September 7, 2000
and 2 more in the library