Ayahuasca, a psychedelic beverage, modulates neuroplasticity induced by ethanol in mice
Behavioural Brain Research August 23, 2021 Carolina Aparecida Faria Almeida, Antônio Alves Pereira-Júnior, Jéssica Gonçalves Rangel et al. 33 citations
Repeated ethanol administration to mice produced behavioral sensitization, a model of alcohol use disorder. Subsequent daily treatment with ayahuasca (1.76 mg/kg DMT) for eight days attenuated that sensitization. Ayahuasca also reduced the anxiety-like behavior triggered by ethanol withdrawal and prevented ethanol-induced changes in 5-HT1a receptor and prodynorphin levels in the hippocampus, while reducing ethanol's effects on the dynorphin/prodynorphin ratio in the striatum. The results suggest ayahuasca may modulate neuroplastic changes caused by ethanol.