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Marian Waguespack

Human Neuropsychopharmacology Group, Sant Pau Institute of Biomedical Research (IIB-Sant Pau), Sant Antoni María Claret, Barcelona, Spain (Ms Maqueda and Dr Riba); Centre d'Investigació de Medicaments, Servei de Farmacologia Clínica, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain (Dr Valle, Dr Puntes, Dr Coimbra, Ms Ballester, Ms Garrido, Ms González, Ms Claramunt, and Dr Riba); Departament de Farmacologia i Terapèutica, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain (Drs Valle, Antonijoan, and Riba); Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Spain (Drs Valle, Antonijoan, and Riba); Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Modelling and Simulation, IIB Sant Pau, Sant Antoni María Claret, Barcelona, Spain (Dr Valle); Medical Informatics, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT (Dr Addy); Medical Informatics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT (Dr Addy); Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Skip Bertman Drive at River Road, Baton Rouge, LA (Drs Barker, Lomnicka, and Waguespack); Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Drs Johnson and Griffiths); Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (Dr Griffiths).

3 papers in the library · 146 citations · publishing 2015-2016

Papers

Acute Biphasic Effects of Ayahuasca

PLoS ONE September 30, 2015 Eduardo Ekman Schenberg, João Felipe Morel Alexandre, Renato Filev et al. 115 citations

Ayahuasca, an Amazonian plant-based brew used ritually in Brazil and increasingly worldwide, produces a two-phase brain effect. Electroencephalogram recordings and blood measurements of the brew's compounds (DMT, harmine, harmaline, tetrahydroharmine, and their metabolites) showed that 50 minutes after ingestion, alpha brainwave power (8–13 Hz) decreased, mostly in the left parieto-occipital cortex. Between 75 and 125 minutes, slow- and fast-gamma power (30–50 and 50–100 Hz, respectively) increased across multiple cortical regions, including left centro-parieto-occipital, left fronto-temporal, and right frontal areas. These brain changes were significantly linked to circulating levels of ayahuasca's active chemicals. The authors interpret these effects within cognitive and emotional frameworks relevant to ritual use and potential therapeutic applications.

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137202 Ayahuasca Medicine Chemistry

Naltrexone but Not Ketanserin Antagonizes the Subjective, Cardiovascular, and Neuroendocrine Effects of Salvinorin-A in Humans

The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology February 12, 2016 Marta Valle, Montserrat Puntes, Jimena Coimbra et al. 31 citations

Salvinorin-A, a terpene from the plant Salvia divinorum, induces an intense but short-lasting altered state of awareness similar to classical psychedelics, but it acts on kappa-opioid receptors rather than serotonin-2A receptors. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with 24 healthy volunteers experienced with psychedelics, inhalation of 1 mg of vaporized salvinorin-A severely reduced external sensory perception, caused intense visual and auditory modifications, and increased systolic blood pressure, cortisol, and prolactin. These effects were effectively blocked by the opioid antagonist naltrexone (50 mg orally) but not by the serotonin-2A antagonist ketanserin (40 mg orally), confirming that salvinorin-A's mechanism involves kappa-opioid receptor agonism and not serotonin-2A agonism.

DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyw016 Full text Serotonin Ketanserin Naltrexone Hallucinogen +7