It’s Tea Time: Interference of Ayahuasca Brew on Discriminative Learning in Zebrafish
Bruno Lobão‐soares, Paulianny Eduardo-Da-Silva, Hugo Amarilha, Jaquelinne Pinheiro‐da‐silva, Priscila Fernandes Silva, Ana Carolina Luchiari
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience August 27, 2018 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00190 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 100 |
| Population | Adult zebrafish |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Dose | 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L |
| Duration | 13-day chronic exposure; acute exposure (single session) |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Zebrafish Thigmotaxis Pharmacology Hallucinogen Harmaline Agonist Harmine Cognition |
| Citations | 15 |
| Key findings | Chronic ayahuasca exposure impairs object discrimination and locomotion in zebrafish, while acute exposure does not affect memory but high concentration reduces locomotion. |
Abstract
Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in shamanistic and vegetalistic rituals and has recently received lot of attention due to potential cognitive benefits. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the synergistic interaction of β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroarmine) contained in Banisteriopsis caapi stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria viridis leaves, a potent agonist to serotonin (5-HT) receptors. The present study approaches the effects of chronic and acute exposure to two Ayahuasca concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 ml/L) on the cognitive ability to discriminate objects in a one-trial learning task in zebrafish. Based on the combination of concentrations and exposure regimens, we divided adult zebrafish in five treatment groups: acute 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L, chronic 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L, and control 0.0 (n = 20 for each group). Then we tested them in a memory task of object discrimination. Acute Ayahuasca exposed groups performed similarly to the control group, however chronically treated fish (13 days) presented both impaired discriminative performance and locomotor alterations. Overall, these results indicate that Ayahuasca is a potent psychoactive drug that, in chronic exposure, negatively affects mnemonic parameters in zebrafish. In single exposure it does not affects cognitive performance, but the higher concentration (0.5) affected locomotion. Moreover, we reinforce the importance of the zebrafish for behavioral pharmacological studies of drug screening, in special to psychedelic drug research.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cited by 8
- Ayahuasca's therapeutic potential: What we know - and what not. European Neuropsychopharmacology 2023
- Ayahuasca: A review of historical, pharmacological, and therapeutic aspects. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Reports December 1, 2023
- The current state of ayahuasca research in animal models: A systematic review. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry July 13, 2023
- The zebrafish for preclinical psilocybin research. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews October 1, 2023
- The effect of psychedelic microdosing on animal behavior: A review with recommendations for the field Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews May 9, 2025
and 3 more in the library
Cites 20
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: Tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of Ayahuasca Journal of Ethnopharmacology April 1, 1984
- Ayahuasca-Assisted Therapy for Addiction: Results from a Preliminary Observational Study in Canada Current Drug Abuse Reviews June 1, 2013
- 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
- Psychedelics and the Human Receptorome PLoS One 2010
and 15 more in the library