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.
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
June 20, 2020
A.p.s. Campagnoli, L.a.s. Pereira, José Lino Oliveira Bueno
11 citations
Ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic substance, alters the subjective experience of time and impairs perception of the passage of time during stimuli longer than two to three seconds. In a double-blind study with nine healthy volunteers experienced in shamanistic rituals, participants ingested low or experimental doses of ayahuasca and performed a task reproducing 20-second musical stimuli. Without ayahuasca, temporal reproduction averaged 16.33 to 16.52 seconds. After ayahuasca, temporal distortion was minor, with means of 17.91 seconds for control and 18.38 seconds for experimental doses. These results show less temporal distortion with ayahuasca, contrasting with other hallucinogen studies.
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.
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
September 4, 2013
V. Ferraz-De-Paula, D. Stankevicius, A. Ribeiro et al.
10 citations
Acute MDMA (ecstasy) treatment in adult male mice produced an anxiogenic-like effect, despite impairing behavioral anxiety expression in some tests due to motor stimulation. At 10 mg/kg, MDMA increased distance traveled and time spent moving in the open field, but decreased exploratory head dipping in the hole board. It increased open arm entries and time spent in open arms of the elevated plus maze, and increased time away from an aversive predator odor with fewer risk assessments. MDMA also raised serum corticosterone levels and increased striatal dopamine levels and turnover. These findings suggest MDMA induces anxiety-related hormonal and neurochemical changes, while its motor-stimulating properties complicate behavioral anxiety measures.
Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research
September 2, 2025
A. Walsh-Monteiro, S. Morato, F.a.r. Uribe et al.
Ayahuasca, a beverage containing N,N-dimethyltryptamine and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, produces significant changes in motor and cognitive behavior in animal models, particularly through the serotonergic system. These changes resemble negative symptoms seen in schizophrenia and depression. The review of 14 studies from 2012 to 2022 reveals diversity in animal models, developmental stages, and dosing regimens (acute and chronic). However, the authors highlight a scarcity of methodologically standardized preclinical research, which limits conclusive comparisons and underscores the need for further studies to assess potential toxic and neurochemical effects before therapeutic use can be safely evaluated.