Common Marmosets: A Potential Translational Animal Model of Juvenile Depression

Galvão-Coelho, Nicole Leite; Galvão, Ana Cecília de Menezes; Silva, Flávia Santos da; Sousa, Maria Bernardete Cordeiro de

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00175

Cited by 24 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…Some studies with animal models of depression, rodents and non-human primates, observed positive antidepressant effects with the use of ayahuasca or its specific components ( 90 – 92 ). Using the recently validated translational animal model of depression ( 93 ), young marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus ) that showed hypocortisolemia, were treated with nortriptyline during 7 days, a tricyclic antidepressant, or with a single dose of ayahuasca. It was observed that ayahuasca increased fecal cortisol levels until 48 h after it ingestion, and presented more notable antidepressant effects than nortriptyline, since it reverted depressive-like behaviors and regulated cortisol levels faster and longer, when compared with nortriptyline ( 93 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortisol Modulation by Ayahuasca in Patients With Treatment Resistant Depression and Healthy Controls

et al. 2018

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Major depression is a highly prevalent mood disorder, affecting about 350 million people, and around 30% of the patients are resistant to currently available antidepressant medications. Recent evidence from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) supports the rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of ayahuasca on plasma cortisol and awakening salivary cortisol response, in the same group of treatment-resistant patients (MD) and in healthy volunteers (C). Subjects received a single dose of ayahuasca or placebo (dosing session), and both plasma and awakening salivary cortisol response were measured at baseline (before dosing session) and 48 h after the dosing session. Baseline assessment (D0) showed blunted awakening salivary cortisol response and hypocortisolemia in patients, with respect to healthy controls. Salivary cortisol was also measured during dosing session, and we observed higher increases for both C and MD that ingested ayahuasca than placebo. After 48 h from the dosing session with ayahuasca, patients' awakening salivary cortisol response is similar to the ones detected in controls. No significant changes in plasma cortisol levels were observed 48 h after the sessions. Therefore, these findings point to new evidence on the modulation of salivary cortisol levels as a result of an ayahuasca session, both in healthy and depressive volunteers. Considering that cortisol acts in regulation of distinct physiological pathways, emotional and cognitive processes, it is assumed to be critically involved to the etiology of depression and its regulation seems to be important for the treatment and remission of major depression, ayahuasca use as antidepressant should be further investigated. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of psychedelics in the treatment of human mental disorders.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cortisol Modulation by Ayahuasca in Patients With Treatment Resistant Depression and Healthy Controls

et al. 2018

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“…The evidence for ayahuasca’s rapid antidepressant action in adult patients raises the question of whether it might also be effective in other age groups susceptible to depression, such as adolescents. Due to this possibility and to the lack of animal studies on ayahuasca in juvenile depression, this study evaluated the acute antidepressant effects of ayahuasca on body weight and physiological (fecal cortisol) and behavioral parameters in a recently developed juvenile model of depression that involves the induction of a depressive-like state in the common marmoset ( Callithrix jacchus ) through chronic social isolation 16…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute effects of ayahuasca in a juvenile non-human primate model of depression

Silva

Sousa

et al. 2019

Braz. J. Psychiatry

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Objective:The incidence rate of major depression in adolescents reaches approximately 14%. This disorder is usually recurrent, without remission of symptoms even after pharmacological treatment, and persists throughout adult life. Since the effects of antidepressants take approximately 2 weeks to begin, new pharmacological therapies are under continuous exploration. Recent evidence suggests that psychedelics could produce rapid antidepressant effects. In this study, we evaluated the potential antidepressant effects of ayahuasca in a juvenile non-human primate model of depression.Methods:While living with their families, juvenile marmosets (8 males; 7 females) were observed on alternate days for four weeks during a baseline phase. This was followed by 8 weeks of an induced depressive state protocol, the social isolated context (IC), in which the animals were monitored in the first and last weeks. Subsequently, five males and four females were randomly selected for treatment, first with a single administration of saline vehicle (1.67 mL/300 g of body weight, via gavage), followed by a single dose of ayahuasca (1.67 mL/300 g of body weight, via gavage). Both phases lasted 1 week and the animals were monitored daily. A third week of sampling was called the tardive-pharmacological effects phase. In all phases the marmosets were assessed for behavior, fecal cortisol levels, and body weight.Results:After IC, the animals presented typical hypocortisolemia, but cortisol recovered to baseline levels 24 h after an acute dose of ayahuasca; this recovery was not observed in vehicle-treated animals. Additionally, in males, ayahuasca, but not the vehicle, reduced scratching, a stereotypic behavior, and increased feeding. Ayahuasca treatment also improved body weight to baseline levels in both sexes. The ayahuasca-induced behavioral response had long-term effects (14 days). Thus, in this translational juvenile animal model of depression, ayahuasca presented beneficial effects.Conclusions:These results can contribute to the validation of ayahuasca as an antidepressant drug and encourage new studies on psychedelic drugs as a tool for treating mood disorders, including for adolescents with early-onset depression.

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“…Some studies with animal models of depression, rodents and non-human primates, observed positive antidepressant effects with the use of ayahuasca or its specific components (81, 82, 83). Using the recently validated translational animal model of depression (84), young marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus ) were treated with nortriptyline during 7 days, a tricyclic antidepressant, or with a single dose of ayahuasca. It was observed that ayahuasca increased fecal cortisol levels until 48 hours after it ingestion and presented more notable antidepressant effects than nortriptyline, since it reverted depressive-like behaviors and regulated cortisol levels faster and during more time (83).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%