In mice undergoing alcohol abstinence, treatment with ayahuasca blocked the return of alcohol self-administration. The effects depended on activation of the 5-HT2A receptor. The findings suggest that ayahuasca and other 5-HT2A receptor agonists could serve as adjunctive pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorder.
Male mice voluntarily drank ayahuasca over water when offered every other day, regardless of concentration. Extending the interval between exposures to every five days reversed this preference, producing aversion to ayahuasca, especially at higher concentrations. Frequency of exposure and concentration together influenced total ayahuasca intake during later re-exposure. These results indicate that both how often and how much ayahuasca is available determine preference in mice, which may inform therapeutic or ritualistic use.