An ontogenic study of the behavioral effects of chronic intermittent exposure to ayahuasca in mice

Abstract

Ayahuasca is a beverage obtained from decoctions of the Banisteriopsis caapi plus Psychotria viridis. In religious contexts, ayahuasca is used by different age groups. However, little is known of the effects of ayahuasca during ontogenic development, particularly with regard to the functional characteristics of the central nervous system. Animal models are useful for studying the ontogenic effects of ayahuasca because they allow exclusion of the behavioral influence associated with the ritualistic use. We investigated the effects of exposure to ayahuasca (1.5 mL/kg, orally, twice a week) on memory and anxiety in C57BL/6 mice, with the post-natal day (PND) being used as the ontogenic criterion for classification: childhood (PND21 to PND35), adolescence (PND35 to PND63), adulthood (PND90-PND118), childhood-adolescence (PND21 to PND63), childhood-adulthood (PND21 to PND118) and adolescence-adulthood (PND35 to PND118). One day after the last ayahuasca exposure, the mice were subjected to the Morris water maze (MWM), open field and elevated plus maze tasks (EPM). Ayahuasca did not affect locomotion in the open field or open arms exploration in the EPM, but increased the risk assessment behavior in the childhood group. Ayahuasca did not cause any change in acquisition of spatial reference memory in the MWM task, but decreased the time spent on the platform quadrant during the test session in the adolescence group. These results suggest that, in mice, exposure to ayahuasca in childhood and adolescence promoted anxiety and memory impairment, respectively. However, these behavioral changes were not long-lasting since they were not observed in the childhood-adulthood and adolescence-adulthood groups.

O Uso Ritualistíco E Farmacológico Da Ayahuasca: Uma Revisão De Literatura

“…Durante os encontros das religiões que utilizam ayahuasca em rituais, que ocorrem com frequência, a bebida é ingerida entre os participantes variando de uma a três doses durante a cerimônia. Em um estudo realizado por Santos et al,(2017) foi estudado o uso crônico da ayahuasca em animais e os riscos relacionados a exposição diária e por longos períodos. Os autores encontraram que, para o maleficio e/ou letalidade, é necessários que sejam ingeridas doses 50 vezes maior do que normalmente é utilizado.…”

The current state of ayahuasca research in animal models: A systematic review

“…Mice in different stages of the development treated twice a week with ayahuasca (1.5ml/kg[1x]) had no locomotor activity alteration in the open field, tested one day after administration (t[14 to 20]=-1.8456 to 1.1527, p=0.084 to 0.804); however, ayahuasca-treated infant mice spent more time in risk assessment behaviour in the elevated plus-maze test, suggesting increased anxiety (t[19]=-3.2684; p=0.004), and adolescents spent less time in and crossed fewer times the platform quadrant of the Morris water maze (t[20]=-2.6937 and -2.3350, p<0.05), indicating a memory impairment (Correa-Netto et al, 2017b). Using the same dose, ayahuasca administration twice a week in six-month-old mice for one year did not alter ageing or anxiety parameters evaluated by open field, elevated plus maze, and Morris water maze test (all p>0.05) tested before the start of treatment and one day after the last administration (Correa-Netto et al, 2017a).…”

Ayahuasca: A review of historical, pharmacological, and therapeutic aspects

“…[221][222][223] However, others found that ayahuasca administration reduced anxiety. [224][225][226] Additionally, investigations in zebrafish revealed anxiogenic behavior following ayahuasca administration. 227,228 Substance misuse…”