RESUMO
The use of the hallucinogenic brew ayahuasca, obtained from infusing the shredded stalk of the malpighiaceous plant Banisteriopsis caapi with the leaves of other plants such as Psychotria viridis, is growing in urban centers of Europe, South and North America in the last several decades. Despite this diffusion, little is known about its effects on emotional states. The present study investigated the effects of ayahuasca on psychometric measures of anxiety, panic-like and hopelessness in members of the Santo Daime, an ayahuasca-using religion. Standard questionnaires were used to evaluate state-anxiety (STAI-state), trait-anxiety (STAI-trait), panic-like (ASI-R) and hopelessness (BHS) in participants that ingested ayahuasca for at least 10 consecutive years. The study was done in the Santo Daime church, where the questionnaires were administered 1h after the ingestion of the brew, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled procedure. While under the acute effects of ayahuasca, participants scored lower on the scales for panic and hopelessness related states. Ayahuasca ingestion did not modify state- or trait-anxiety. The results are discussed in terms of the possible use of ayahuasca in alleviating signs of hopelessness and panic-like related symptoms.
Assuntos
Ansiedade/tratamento farmacológico , Banisteriopsis/química , Transtorno Depressivo/tratamento farmacológico , Pânico/efeitos dos fármacos , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Adulto , Ansiedade/psicologia , Bebidas , Brasil , Transtorno Depressivo/psicologia , Método Duplo-Cego , Feminino , Frutas/química , Harmalina/administração & dosagem , Harmalina/química , Harmalina/farmacologia , Harmina/administração & dosagem , Harmina/análogos & derivados , Harmina/química , Harmina/farmacologia , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estrutura Molecular , N,N-Dimetiltriptamina/administração & dosagem , N,N-Dimetiltriptamina/química , N,N-Dimetiltriptamina/farmacologia , Extratos Vegetais/administração & dosagem , Extratos Vegetais/química , Folhas de Planta/química , Psicometria/métodos , Religião , Inquéritos e Questionários , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
beta-carboline alkaloids are found in several medicinal plants and display a variety of actions on the central nervous, muscular and cardiovascular systems. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of systemic administration of beta-carboline alkaloids on object recognition in mice. Adult Swiss mice received an intra-peritoneal injection (i.p.) of alkaloids (1.0, 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg) 30 min before training in an object recognition task. The fully aromatic beta-carbolines, harmine and harmol, induced an enhancement of short-term memory (STM) at all doses tested when compared to controls. Harmaline, a dihydro beta-carboline and inverse agonist of the MK-801 binding site on the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, also induced an enhancement of both short-term memory (STM) and long-term memory (LTM). These results demonstrate that systemic administration of beta-carboline alkaloids can improve object recognition memory in mice.