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Harmine impairs memory performance of treated rats and nontreated cagemates.

Tânia Cristina Libânio, R. Eufrásio, Suzy S Niigaki, Fernanda Fiel Peres, Regina H. Silva, Antônio Waldo Zuardi, Jaime E. C. Hallak, José Alexandre S. Crippa, Mariana Bendlin Calzavara, Vanessa C. Abı́lio

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology November 4, 2021 DOI: 10.1037/pha0000525 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Experimental study Peer reviewed
Population Rats
Intervention Harmine
Dose 5, 10, or 15 mg/kg
Measures contextual and tone fear conditioning (CFC and TFC), plus-maze discriminative avoidance (PMDAT)
Topics Ayahuasca
Keywords Harmine Pharmacology
Citations 6
Key findings Harmine impairs memory in emotional tasks in rats, and cohabitation with harmine-treated rats also impairs memory in untreated rats.

Abstract

The interest in psychedelic substances as potential treatments for psychiatric disorders is increasing. The β-carboline harmine, an Ayahuasca component, presents hallucinogenic and antidepressant effects. Although Ayuahuasca-and consequently harmine-is usually consumed in rituals, the role of social contexts in the behavioral effects of harmine has not been investigated yet. In this sense, affective states may modulate cohabitants' behavior, including learning/memory. This work investigates the effects of harmine on the learning/memory performance of rats evaluated on the contextual and tone fear conditioning (CFC and TFC) and on the plus-maze discriminative avoidance (PMDAT) tasks. The possible influence of a harmine-treated cohabitant was assessed by evaluating rats housed in homogeneous cages-where all the animals were acutely administered with the same treatment (vehicle, 5, 10, or 15 mg/kg harmine), and in heterogeneous cages-where each animal received a different drug treatment. The main results are: (a) harmine impaired CFC (10 mg/kg) and PMDAT discrimination (all doses); and (b) harmine caused a memory deficit in CFC, TFC, and PMDAT of untreated rats kept in heterogeneous cages. Our results show that harmine induces a memory deficit in tasks with emotional contexts. Further, the cohabitation with animals treated with this drug also seems to impair memory performance of untreated animals. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparable studies

Other preclinical and animal studies on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Monoamine oxidase inhibitors in South American hallucinogenic plants: Tryptamine and β-carboline constituents of Ayahuasca Eight ayahuasca samples from Peru and several Banisteriopsis caapi cultivars 1984 Qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis with in vitro assay
The alkaloids of Banisteriopsis caapi, the plant source of the Amazonian hallucinogen Ayahuasca, stimulate adult neurogenesis in vitro Progenitor cells from subventricular and subgranular zones of adult mice brains 2017 In vitro experimental study
N,N-dimethyltryptamine compound found in the hallucinogenic tea ayahuasca, regulates adult neurogenesis in vitro and in vivo Mice 2020 In vitro and in vivo experimental study
Behavioural and neurotoxic effects of ayahuasca infusion (Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis) in female Wistar rat Female Wistar rats 2015 Observational cohort
Effects of ayahuasca on the development of ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization and on a post-sensitization treatment in mice Mice 2015 Experimental study

Citations in the library

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