Moderators of ayahuasca’s biological antidepressant action
Frontiers in Psychiatry – December 05, 2022
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
Acute emotional and physiological actions during an Ayahuasca session significantly modulate antidepressant outcomes. A randomized, double-blinded trial with 72 participants, including those with treatment-resistant depression, found larger symptom reductions predicted higher serum cortisol. Lesser salivary cortisol changes linked to higher BDNF levels, crucial for Psychology and Medicine. This Pharmacology insight, vital for Psychiatry and Psychedelics and Drug Studies, suggests psychotherapists could optimize therapeutic action. Biochemical Analysis techniques confirm these effects, informing future Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research into similar drug mechanisms.
Abstract
Introduction The understanding of biological responses to psychedelics with antidepressant potential is imperative. Here we report how a set of acute parameters, namely emotional (depressive symptoms), cognitive (psychedelic experience), and physiological (salivary cortisol), recorded during an ayahuasca dosing session, modulated serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serum cortisol (SC), serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), and salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR). Methods Results were analyzed 2 days after the psychedelic intervention (ayahuasca) versus placebo in both patients with treatment-resistant depression and healthy volunteers. These measures were assessed as part of a randomized double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial ( n = 72). Results Results revealed that larger reductions of depressive symptoms during the dosing session significantly moderated higher levels of SC in patients. Whereas lesser changes in salivary cortisol levels during the ayahuasca intervention were related to higher BDNF levels in patients with a larger clinical response in the reduction in depressive symptoms. No moderator was found for patient’s CAR, IL-6, and CRP responses to ayahuasca and for all biomarker responses to ayahuasca in healthy controls and in the placebo group. Discussion In summary, some specific emotional and physiological parameters during experimental ayahuasca session were revealed as critical moderators of the improvement of major depression biomarkers, mainly BDNF and SC two days after ayahuasca intake. These findings contribute to paving the way for future studies investigating the biological antidepressant response to psychedelic therapy.