Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental
February 2, 2022
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Juliana Mendes Rocha, Giordano Novak Rossi et al.
20 citations
Abstract Objective To assess endocannabinoid (anandamide, AEA; 2‐arachidonoylglycerol, 2‐AG) plasma levels in healthy volunteers and in volunteers with social anxiety disorder (SAD) after a single oral dose of ayahuasca or placebo. Methods Post hoc analysis of endocannabinoid plasma levels (baseline, 90 and 240 min after drug intake) from two parallel‐group, randomized, placebo‐controlled...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
2022
Charles L. Raison, Rakesh Jain, Andrew Penn et al.
75 citations
Survey-based studies suggest naturalistic psychedelic use provides mental health benefits similar to those observed in clinical trials. The current study sought to confirm these findings in a large group of psychedelic users and to conduct a novel examination of associations between amount of psychedelic use and behavioral outcomes, as well as frequency of harms ascribed to psychedelic use. A...
Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
2022
Cid Pinheiro Farias, Paula Pólvora Victoria, Janaína Xavier et al.
2 citations
Abstract Ayahuasca (AYA) is a psychedelic beverage with therapeutic potential for many mood and anxiety disorders. Although there are some preclinical studies, no published reports have tested the behavioral effects of AYA gavage in animal models. This investigation aimed to characterize the behavior of Wistar rats after acute ingestion of AYA for 40 min in the open field test (OFT). The sample...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
2022
Daniel Perkins, Broc A. Pagni, Jerome Sarris et al.
53 citations
Background: Naturalistic and placebo-controlled studies suggest ayahuasca, a potent psychedelic beverage originating from Indigenous Amazonian tradition, may improve mental health, alter personality structure, and reduce alcohol and drug intake. To better understand ayahuasca's therapeutic potential and to identify factors that influence therapeutic efficacy, we conducted a naturalistic,...
Frontiers in Pharmacology
October 1, 2021
Maggie Kiraga, Natasha L. Mason, Malin V. Uthaug et al.
83 citations
Background: Naturalistic and placebo-controlled studies have suggested that ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian beverage, could be helpful in the treatment of psychopathologies like depression and anxiety disorders by changing otherwise disturbed cognitive and emotional processes. To better understand its full therapeutic potential, one way is to study the effects on processes like flexible...
Journal of Psychedelic Studies
August 26, 2021
Kim van Oorsouw, Malin V. Uthaug, Natasha L. Mason et al.
16 citations
Abstract Background and aims There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the psychedelic plant tea, ayahuasca, holds therapeutic potential. Uthaug et al. (2018) demonstrated that a single dose of ayahuasca improved mental health sub-acutely and 4-weeks post-ceremony in healthy participants. The present study aimed to replicate and extend these findings. A first objective was to assess...
L'Encephale
August 1, 2021
Lucie Berkovitch, Bruno Romeo, Laurent Karila et al.
25 citations
Psychedelics are powerful psychoactive substances. Natural psychedelics have been used for millennia by human civilizations, in particular in Latin America, while synthetic psychedelics were discovered in the 50s, giving rise to a lot of research before they were prohibited. More recently, their therapeutic properties have been studied especially to help patients with psychiatric conditions,...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
June 23, 2021
Rafael G. Dos Santos, Flávia de Lima Osório, Juliana Mendes Rocha et al.
85 citations
Abstract Background Ayahuasca is a classic hallucinogen with anxiolytic and antidepressive properties. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that it improves performance (eg, singing, speech). This controlled trial assessed the effects of ayahuasca on speech performance and anxiety in individuals with social anxiety disorder. Methods Seventeen volunteers with social anxiety disorder participated in...
Frontiers in Psychiatry
June 9, 2021
Simon Ruffell, Nige Netzband, WaiFung Tsang et al.
74 citations
Ayahuasca is a natural psychoactive brew, used in traditional ceremonies in the Amazon basin. Recent research has indicated that ayahuasca is pharmacologically safe and its use may be positively associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms. The mechanistic effects of ayahuasca are yet to be fully established. In this prospective naturalistic study, 63 self-selected participants took...
Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology
April 13, 2021
Juliana Mendes Rocha, Giordano Novak Rossi, Flávia de Lima Osório et al.
46 citations
Abstract Background The recognition of emotions in facial expressions (REFE) is a core aspect of social cognition. Previous studies with the serotonergic hallucinogens lysergic acid diethylamide and psilocybin showed that these drugs reduced the recognition of negative (fear) faces in healthy volunteers. This trial assessed the acute and prolonged effects of a single dose of ayahuasca on the...