Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
January 1, 2017
Nelson Francisco Correa-Netto, M.y. Masukawa, F. Nishide et al.
20 citations
Exposure to ayahuasca during childhood increased risk assessment behavior, indicating anxiety, and during adolescence decreased time spent in the platform quadrant during a memory test, indicating spatial memory impairment, in C57BL/6 mice. The beverage did not affect locomotion or open arm exploration in the elevated plus maze, nor did it alter acquisition of spatial reference memory in the Morris water maze. These behavioral changes were not long-lasting, as they were absent in groups exposed from childhood to adulthood or adolescence to adulthood.
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs
December 22, 2018
Sueli Moreira Mello, Paula Christiane Soubhia, Gabriela de Oliveira Silveira et al.
15 citations
Ayahuasca, a beverage made from Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis, contains monoamine oxidase inhibitors and N,N-dimethyltryptamine, which produces visionary effects. Despite concerns about liver injury from oral consumption, this study measured biochemical markers of liver damage in 22 volunteers who had consumed ayahuasca at least twice monthly for over a year. No significant changes were found in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, creatinine, urea, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, or gamma glutamyl transferase. Chronic ayahuasca use in a religious setting apparently does not impair hepatic function.
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
January 1, 2017
Nelson Francisco Correa-Netto, L.s. Coelho, G Galfano et al.
10 citations
Chronic exposure to ayahuasca over 12 months did not affect spatial reference memory, habituation, or anxiety in aging male mice. Twenty-eight 6-month-old male C57BL/6 mice received ayahuasca or water twice weekly for a year and were tested in the Morris water maze, open field, and elevated plus maze. Aging alone impaired memory retrieval (but not acquisition) and reduced locomotor activity, while anxiety remained unchanged. Ayahuasca treatment did not alter any of these age-related changes, suggesting that long-term ayahuasca use does not worsen or improve memory in mice.