Exploring the therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca: acute intake increases mindfulness-related capacities

Soler, Joaquim; Elices, Matilde; Franquesa, Alba; Barker, Steven A.; Friedländer, Pablo; Feilding, Amanda; Pascual, Juan Carlos; Riba, Jordi

doi:10.1007/s00213-015-4162-0

Cited by 156 publications

(179 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Full-text reports of these citations were obtained for more detailed evaluation. Following detailed examination of the reports, all 27 citations were included (Alonso et al, 2015;Barbosa et al, 2005Barbosa et al, , 2009Bouso et al, 2012Bouso et al, , 2013Bouso et al, , 2015Da Silveira et al, 2005;De Araujo et al, 2012;Doering-Silveira et al, 2005a;Dos Santos et al, 2007, 2011, 2012Fábregas et al, 2010;Frecska et al, 2012;Grob et al, 1996;Halpern et al, 2008;Osório et al, 2015;Palhano-Fontes et al, 2015;Riba et al, 2001Riba et al, , 2002aRiba et al, , 2002bRiba et al, , 2003Riba et al, , 2004Riba et al, , 2006Sanches et al, 2016;Soler et al 2015;Thomas et al, 2013). Another reference was included after searching the bibliography of the selected citations (Schenberg et al, 2015).…”

Section: Study Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging

Santos

Balthazar

Bouso³

et al. 2016

J Psychopharmacol

102

124

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Section: Study Selectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging

Santos

Balthazar

Bouso³

et al. 2016

J Psychopharmacol

102

124

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“…Furthermore, ayahuasca has recently been reported to significantly increase mindfulness related capacities, reducing participants’ judgment and reactivity towards inner experiences, 24 hours after ayahuasca use in a sample of 25 healthy volunteers (Soler et al, 2015). Such effects may indicate a potential psychological mechanism mediating therapeutic effects of ayahuasca, as successful mindfulness-based treatments for depression have been shown to decrease brooding, in part by enhancing nonjudgmental awareness (Shahar et al, 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review.

Garcia-Romeu

Kersgaard

Addy³

2016

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

158

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Hallucinogens fall into several different classes, as broadly defined by pharmacological mechanism of action, and chemical structure. These include psychedelics, entactogens, dissociatives, and other atypical hallucinogens. Although these classes do not share a common primary mechanism of action, they do exhibit important similarities in their ability to occasion temporary but profound alterations of consciousness, involving acute changes in somatic, perceptual, cognitive, and affective processes. Such effects likely contribute to their recreational use. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that these drugs may have therapeutic applications beyond their potential for abuse. This review will present data on several classes of hallucinogens with a particular focus on psychedelics, entactogens, and dissociatives, for which clinical utility has been most extensively documented. Information on each class is presented in turn, tracing relevant historical insights, highlighting similarities and differences between the classes from the molecular to the behavioral level, and presenting the most up-to-date information on clinically oriented research with these substances, with important ramifications for their potential therapeutic value.

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“…For future studies, we also suggest the use of zebrafish to test Ayahuasca exposure regimes on the development of drug seeking behavior. Studies have shown that regular ingestion of the brew is associated with a reduction in the consumption of abusive drugs (Fábregas et al, 2010; Thomas et al, 2013; Oliveira-lima et al, 2015; Soler et al, 2016), and this effect should be related to Ayahuasca action. Also, it would be important to invest in techniques that show changes in the brain (neurotransmitters, proteins, neuroplasticity) caused by Ayahuasca, in order to thoroughly understand the comparative effect of low vs. high and acute vs. chronic exposure of a drug that has been increasing used worldwide.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

It’s Tea Time: Interference of Ayahuasca Brew on Discriminative Learning in Zebrafish

Lobão-Soares

Eduardo-da-Silva

Amarilha

et al. 2018

Front. Behav. Neurosci.

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Ayahuasca is a psychoactive brew traditionally used in shamanistic and vegetalistic rituals and has recently received lot of attention due to potential cognitive benefits. Ayahuasca effects are caused by the synergistic interaction of β-carbolines (harmine, harmaline and tetrahydroarmine) contained in Banisteriopsis caapi stalks combined with the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Psychotria viridis leaves, a potent agonist to serotonin (5-HT) receptors. The present study approaches the effects of chronic and acute exposure to two Ayahuasca concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 ml/L) on the cognitive ability to discriminate objects in a one-trial learning task in zebrafish. Based on the combination of concentrations and exposure regimens, we divided adult zebrafish in five treatment groups: acute 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L, chronic 0.1 and 0.5 ml/L, and control 0.0 (n = 20 for each group). Then we tested them in a memory task of object discrimination. Acute Ayahuasca exposed groups performed similarly to the control group, however chronically treated fish (13 days) presented both impaired discriminative performance and locomotor alterations. Overall, these results indicate that Ayahuasca is a potent psychoactive drug that, in chronic exposure, negatively affects mnemonic parameters in zebrafish. In single exposure it does not affects cognitive performance, but the higher concentration (0.5) affected locomotion. Moreover, we reinforce the importance of the zebrafish for behavioral pharmacological studies of drug screening, in special to psychedelic drug research.

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Exploring the therapeutic potential of Ayahuasca: acute intake increases mindfulness-related capacities

Abstract: The present findings support the claim that ayahuasca has therapeutic potential and suggest that this potential is due to an increase in mindfulness capacities.

Cited by 156 publications

References 54 publications

The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging

The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging

Clinical applications of hallucinogens: A review.

It’s Tea Time: Interference of Ayahuasca Brew on Discriminative Learning in Zebrafish

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