Summarizes preclinical and clinical evidence on ayahuasca—a traditional Amazonian brew combining N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and β-carbolines—in treating depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use, eating, and personality disorders. Preclinical work shows enhanced neuroplasticity, reduced inflammation, and oxidative stress. Human neuroimaging reveals decreased default...
Translational PsychiatryFebruary 19, 2026Luís Carlos Pereira, Wigínio Gabriel Lira-Bandeira, Andréa Silva Medeiros-Bandeira et al.
Major depressive disorder remains a debilitating mental health disorder affecting millions worldwide, with growing prevalence among adolescents. Recent studies highlight the critical role of the somatosensory cortex in the neuropathology of depression, including structural alterations that impair cortical function. This study investigates the prophylactic effects of ayahuasca, a classic...
The findings suggest a clinically relevant interaction between ayahuasca and SSRIs, as even modest increases in DMT exposure may intensify serotonergic effects in individuals receiving antidepressant therapy. This study provides a mechanistic and quantitative framework for assessing interaction risks between ayahuasca alkaloids and SSRIs, supporting clinical decision-making and harm-reduction...
The increasing interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics and cannabis underscores the need to understand their long-term neuropsychological and personality effects. This cross-sectional study compared regular users of ayahuasca (n = 69), cannabis (n = 56), and non-substance users (n = 94) on a battery of neuropsychological tasks and psychological questionnaires. Participants were...
A obra Visões Multidisciplinares da Ayahuasca (2023), resultado do projeto da Cooperação Interdisciplinar para Pesquisa e Divulgação da Ayahuasca, oferece uma análise abrangente do uso da bebida em múltiplos contextos, inserindo-se no cenário contemporâneo do “renascimento psicodélico”. Organizado em três partes, o livro contempla dimensões históricas, culturais, terapêuticas, legais e...
This article develops a new materialist approach to the representation of mystical-type experiences in Virtual Reality (VR). It investigates how sensory modalities and virtual environments are employed to translate the indeterminate and invisible qualities of mental states and evoke experiences of liminal consciousness that are characteristic of mystical-type experiences associated with...
Ayahuasca is a psychedelic plant brew that has been used in Central and South America for centuries. Recently, there has been an increase in "drug tourism" to places where ayahuasca is legally available as well as increased scientific interest in its potential mental and physical health benefits. Despite a growing body of research over the last decade, no studies to date have systematically...
Rodent studies have shown that psychedelic drugs can enhance fear extinction. However, investigations to date have relied on normative aversive conditioning procedures, which limit their relevance to trauma-related memories, as these tend to be overgeneralized and resistant to extinction. Fear extinction depends on activity and plasticity within the infralimbic (IL) region of the medial...
Understanding the neural mechanisms underlying the impact of psychedelics on social perception and cognition may be instrumental to unravel their therapeutic potential. We conducted a pharmacoimaging study to examine ayahuasca's effects on a key theory of mind region, at the core of the third visual pathway (TVP) - the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), which is involved in facial...
Este estudo investiga a história, expansão e processo de produção da Ayahuasca, uma bebida sagrada com raízes indígenas na Amazônia. Utilizando uma abordagem de revisão bibliográfica, o trabalho analisa a influência de figuras-chave e a fundação de tradições religiosas como Santo Daime e União do Vegetal. O foco principal está no detalhamento do processo de produção da Ayahuasca, que envolve a...