Ayahuasca for Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

12 papers and 4 clinical trials exploring ayahuasca as a treatment for neuroimaging & brain measures.

Compoundclassic psychedelic

Ayahuasca

Ayahuasca is a botanical decoction combining DMT with MAO-inhibiting harmala alkaloids, producing intense psychedelic effects lasting 3-6 hours. Clinical trials show rapid, large antidepressant effects from a single dose, with a favourable safety profile in controlled settings.

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IndicationApproximately 264 million people globally suffer from depression, with PTSD affecting around 8 million adults in the United States each year.

Neuroimaging & Brain Measures

Recent advances in neuroimaging have shed light on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the effects of psychedelics, particularly in the treatment of mental health disorders such as depression and PTSD. Studies involving compounds like psilocybin and MDMA have demonstrated significant changes in brain activity associated with therapeutic outcomes.

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Academic Research

12 papers
Open Accessindividual

Meditation, psychedelics, and brain connectivity: A randomized controlled resting-state fMRI study of N,N-dimethyltryptamine and harmine in a meditation retreat

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled resting-state fMRI study of 40 meditation practitioners, buccal DMT–harmine increased functional connectivity within the visual network and between visual and attention/salience networks, whereas meditation with placebo produced greater network segregation. No prolonged disruption of cortical gradients was observed, indicating a return to typical brain organisation shortly after the experience and pointing to distinct neural mechanisms — and potential clinical complementarities — between meditation and psychedelic-augmented meditation.

Published
Journal
Imaging Neuroscience
Authors
Avram, M., Egger, K., Meling, D., Polat, F., Scheidegger, M., Seifritz, E.
Open Accessindividual

Cortical structural differences following repeated ayahuasca use hold molecular signatures

Using 7 T MRI and morphometric similarity networks in 24 Santo Daime members and matched controls, repeated ayahuasca use was associated with sensorimotor structural differentiation and transmodal de-differentiation across the cortex. These macroscale cortical remodellings spatially correlated with dysregulation of 5‑HT2A and other psychedelic-target genes, and with altered expression of transcription factors and immediate early genes implicated in psychedelic-induced neuroplasticity, suggesting molecular mechanisms scale up to whole-brain organisation.

Published
Journal
Frontiers in Neuroscience
Authors
Kloft, L., Mallaroni, P., Mason, N. L., Ramaekers, J. G., Reckweg, J., van Oorsouw, K.
Open Accessindividual

Application of machine learning and complex network measures to an EEG dataset from ayahuasca experiments

Using EEG from ayahuasca experiments, the authors applied machine learning at three abstraction levels—raw signals, inter‑electrode correlations and complex‑network measures—and showed automatic detection of ayahuasca‑induced changes with highest accuracy from connectivity features (92%), then raw (88%) and network measures (83%). They report frontal and temporal activation, a novel F3–PO4 connection potentially linked to face‑like visual processing, and identify closeness centrality, assortativity and new community measures (suggesting larger communities and slower information dissemination) as key biomarkers possibly related to therapeutic mechanisms.

Published
Journal
PLOS ONE
Authors
Alves, C. L., Ciba, M., Cury, R. G., Pineda, A. M., Rodrigues, F. A., Roster, K., Thielemann, C.

Clinical Trials

4 trials

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