Effects of the Amazonian Psychoactive BeverageAyahuascaon Binocular Rivalry: Interhemispheric Switching or Interhemispheric Fusion?
Ede Frecska, Keith D. White, Luis E. Luna
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 1, 2003 DOI: 10.1080/02791072.2003.10400019 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Ceremonial participants who ingested ayahuasca |
| Intervention | Ayahuasca |
| Topics | Ayahuasca |
| Keywords | Binocular rivalry Hallucinogen Consciousness Perception Audiology Cognitive psychology |
| Citations | 12 |
| Key findings | Ayahuasca ingestion decreased rivalry alternation rates, increased percept length, and produced evidence of phenomenal fusion. |
Abstract
An early theoretical analysis supposed changes in hemispheric integration as the basis of altered state of consciousness induced by psychoactive drugs. Brain imaging studies revealed right cortical activation after administration of hallucinogens. Recent studies on binocular rivalry suggest that interhemispheric switching is the neural substrate of the perceptual oscillations observed during dichoptic stimulus presentation. The current study tested perceptual alternation in ceremonial participants, who ingested the South American hallucinogenic beverage ayahuasca, to examine the claim that there might be changes in interhemispheric function under the influence of hallucinogens. Ingestion of ayahuasca resulted in a decrease of rivalry alternation rates, increased length of one percept and there was evidence of phenomenal fusion. The findings are in line with results of brain activation studies and support the concept of interhemispheric fusion in altered states of consciousness.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seeing with the eyes shut: Neural basis of enhanced imagery following ayahuasca ingestion Human participants (number not stated) | 2011 | Within-subjects experimental study | |
| Ayahuasca enhances creative divergent thinking while decreasing conventional convergent thinking Participants at spiritual ayahuasca workshops | 2016 | Within-subjects experimental study | n = 26 |
| Metabolism and disposition of N,N‐dimethyltryptamine and harmala alkaloids after oral administration of ayahuasca Healthy male volunteers | 2012 | Observational pharmacokinetic study | n = 10 |
| New World Tryptamine Hallucinogens and the Neuroscience of Ayahuasca. | 2018 | Review with original neuroimaging and neurophysiological data | |
| Stability Evaluation of DMT and Harmala Alkaloids in Ayahuasca Tea Samples Ayahuasca tea samples | 2020 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Psychedelics, Meditation, and Self-Consciousness Frontiers in Psychology September 4, 2018
- The Therapeutic Potentials of Ayahuasca: Possible Effects against Various Diseases of Civilization. Frontiers in Pharmacology March 2, 2016
- Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution Frontiers in Human Neuroscience May 23, 2017
- Safety and Side Effects of Ayahuasca in Humans—An Overview Focusing on Developmental Toxicology Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 2013
- Ayahuasca: Uses, Phytochemical and Biological Activities Natural Products and Bioprospecting May 27, 2019
and 4 more in the library
Cites 10
- Subjective effects and tolerability of the South American psychoactive beverage Ayahuasca in healthy volunteers Psychopharmacology February 22, 2001
- Neurometabolic Effects of Psilocybin, 3,4-Methylenedioxyethylamphetamine (MDE) and d-Methamphetamine in Healthy Volunteers A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled PET Study with [18F]FDG Neuropsychopharmacology June 1, 1999
- Mescaline-induced psychopathological, neuropsychological, and neurometabolic effects in normal subjects: experimental psychosis as a tool for psychiatric research. Biological Psychiatry December 1, 1992
- Localization of MDMA‐induced brain activity in healthy volunteers using low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) Human Brain Mapping August 27, 2001
- The healing practices of a Peruvian shaman. Journal of Ethnopharmacology July 1, 1984
and 5 more in the library