Ayahuasca, a traditional Amazonian infusion of Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, contains the hallucinogen DMT and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. In adult zebrafish, low concentrations (0.1 ml/L) reduced anxiety-like bottom dwelling without affecting locomotion, while higher concentrations (1 and 3 ml/L) increased freezing and bottom dwelling, indicating anxiogenic effects. Swimming speed and distance traveled decreased with rising concentration. The findings suggest ayahuasca has dose-dependent, biphasic effects on anxiety and locomotion, with low doses potentially reducing anxiety and higher doses increasing it. Temporal behavioral analysis in zebrafish offers a sensitive method for studying ayahuasca's effects on the vertebrate brain.
Ayahuasca, a psychoactive brew containing β-carbolines and DMT, impairs memory and locomotion in zebrafish after chronic (13-day) exposure. In a one-trial object discrimination task, adult zebrafish exposed chronically to 0.1 or 0.5 ml/L ayahuasca showed worse discriminative performance and altered locomotion compared to controls, while acute (single) exposure did not affect memory but the higher concentration reduced locomotion. The findings suggest that chronic ayahuasca use negatively affects mnemonic parameters, reinforcing the zebrafish as a model for psychedelic drug screening.