The current state of research on ayahuasca: A systematic review of human studies assessing psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1230-1247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael G dos Santos ◽  
Fermanda M Balthazar ◽  
José C Bouso ◽  
Jaime EC Hallak
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Psychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Human Studies ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Therapeutic Effects

Rationale: In recent decades, the use of ayahuasca (AYA) – a β-carboline- and dimethyltryptamine-rich hallucinogenic botanical preparation traditionally used by Northwestern Amazonian tribes for ritual and therapeutic purposes – has spread from South America to Europe and the USA, raising concerns about its possible toxicity and hopes of its therapeutic potential. Thus, it is important to analyze the acute, subacute, and long-term effects of AYA to assess its safety and toxicity. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of human studies assessing AYA effects on psychiatric symptoms, neuropsychological functioning, and neuroimaging. Methods: Papers published until 16 December 2015 were included from PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases following a comprehensive search strategy and pre-determined set of criteria for article selection. Results: The review included 28 full-text articles. Acute AYA administration was well tolerated, increased introspection and positive mood, altered visual perceptions, activated frontal and paralimbic regions and decreased default mode network activity. It also improved planning and inhibitory control and impaired working memory, and showed antidepressive and antiaddictive potentials. Long-term AYA use was associated with increased cortical thickness of the anterior cingulate cortex and cortical thinning of the posterior cingulate cortex, which was inversely correlated to age of onset, intensity of prior AYA use, and spirituality. Subacute and long-term AYA use was not associated with increased psychopathology or cognitive deficits, being associated with enhanced mood and cognition, increased spirituality, and reduced impulsivity. Conclusions: Acute, subacute, and long-term AYA use seems to have low toxicity. Preliminary studies about potential therapeutic effects of AYA need replication due to their methodological limitations.

Non-gynaecological Applications of Menstrual-derived Stem Cells: A Systematic Review

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Galea ◽  
Nicoletta Riva ◽  
Jean Calleja-Agius
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
Clinical Trials ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Ethical Issues ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Efficacy And Safety ◽  
Duchene Muscular Dystrophy

Menstrual-derived Stem Cells (MenSC) are a potential novel source of mesenchymal stem cells. There is an increased interest in investigating the therapeutic potential of MenSC due to the various advantages they exhibit, when compared to other types of stem cells. MenSC are obtained non-invasively from menstrual blood. Thus, collection of MenSC is simple, reproducible and can be carried out periodically, with minimal complications. MenSC are present in abundance, are highly proliferative, exhibit a low immunogenicity and lack ethical issues. MenSC have shown the ability to differentiate into several lineages. The therapeutic potential of MenSC in non-gynaecological applications has been investigated in wound healing, neurological, musculo-skeletal,  cardiovascular, respiratory, and liver disorders, as well as in diabetes and cancer. Human clinical trials are limited. To date, therapeutic efficacy and safety have been reported in patients with Avian influenza A subtype H7N9, COVID-19, congestive heart failure, multiple sclerosis and Duchene muscular dystrophy. However, further clinical trials in humans should be conducted, to study the long-term therapeutic effects of these stem cells in various diseases and to further explore their mechanism of action. This systematic review focuses on the application of MenSC in non-gynaecological diseases.

scholarly journals Correlation between Traits of Emotion-Based Impulsivity and Intrinsic Default-Mode Network Activity

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jizheng Zhao ◽  
Dardo Tomasi ◽  
Corinde E. Wiers ◽  
Ehsan Shokri-Kojori ◽  
Şükrü B. Demiral ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Posterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
High Risk Behaviors ◽  
Posterior Cingulate ◽  
Healthy Humans ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal

Negative urgency (NU) and positive urgency (PU) are implicated in several high-risk behaviors, such as eating disorders, substance use disorders, and nonsuicidal self-injury behavior. The current study aimed to explore the possible link between trait of urgency and brain activity at rest. We assessed the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal in 85 healthy volunteers. Trait urgency measures were related to ALFF in the lateral orbitofrontal cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, ventral and dorsal medial frontal cortex, anterior cingulate, and posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus. In addition, trait urgency measures showed significant correlations with the functional connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus seed with the thalamus and midbrain region. These findings suggest an association between intrinsic brain activity and impulsive behaviors in healthy humans.

scholarly journals Presynaptic long-term potentiation requires extracellular signal-regulated kinases in the anterior cingulate cortex

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 174480692091724
Author(s):  
Qi-Yu Chen ◽  
Zhi-Ling Zhang ◽  
Qin Liu ◽  
Chao-Jun Chen ◽  
Xiao-Kang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Long Term Potentiation ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Term Potentiation ◽  
Extracellular Signal

scholarly journals Therapeutic and Protective Effects of Liposomal Encapsulation of Astaxanthin in Mice with Alcoholic Liver Fibrosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 4057 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Chiuan Wu ◽  
Han Hsiang Huang ◽  
Yi Jhen Wu ◽  
Ioannis Manousakas ◽  
Chin Chang Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Liver Fibrosis ◽  
Water Solubility ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Liver Injuries ◽  
Repeated Consumption ◽  
Histopathologic Findings ◽  
Poor Stability

Astaxanthin (Asta) has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and free radical-clearing activities. However, the poor stability and low water solubility of Asta hamper its bioavailability. The objectives of this study were to fabricate Asta-loaded liposomes (Asta-lipo) and investigate the therapeutic effects of Asta-lipo on alcoholic liver fibrosis in mice. The mice were administered with Asta-lipo or liposomes alone prior to a 3-week dose containing 30% alcohol with or without feeding with a second dose of 30% alcohol. The prepared Asta-lipo of 225.0 ± 58.3 nm in diameter, had an encapsulation efficiency of 98%. A slow release profile of 16.2% Asta from Asta-lipo was observed after a 24-h incubation. Restorative actions against alcoholic liver fibrosis were observed after oral administration of Asta-lipo for 4 weeks. Hepatic repair, followed by a second dose of 30% alcohol, suggested that Asta-lipo exerted protective and reparative effects against liver injuries induced by repeated consumption of alcohol. The changes of serum ALT and AST values were principally in consistence with the histopathologic findings. Asta-lipo exerted rapid and direct effects against repeated alcohol-induced liver disease, whereas Asta-lipo given orally could boost recovery from liver injuries obtained due to previous long-term alcohol use. These data demonstrate that Asta-lipo has applicable protective and therapeutic potential to treat alcohol-induced liver diseases.

scholarly journals Random Forest Classification of Alcohol Use Disorder Using fMRI Functional Connectivity, Neuropsychological Functioning, and Impulsivity Measures

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chella Kamarajan ◽  
Babak A. Ardekani ◽  
Ashwini K. Pandey ◽  
Sivan Kinreich ◽  
Gayathri Pandey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Alcohol Use ◽  
Long Range ◽  
Alcohol Use Disorder ◽  
Neuropsychological Functioning ◽  
Brain Networks ◽  
Cingulate Cortex ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Neuropsychological Performance

Individuals with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are known to manifest a variety of neurocognitive impairments that can be attributed to alterations in specific brain networks. The current study aims to identify specific features of brain connectivity, neuropsychological performance, and impulsivity traits that can classify adult males with AUD (n = 30) from healthy controls (CTL, n = 30) using the Random Forest (RF) classification method. The predictor variables were: (i) fMRI-based within-network functional connectivity (FC) of the Default Mode Network (DMN), (ii) neuropsychological scores from the Tower of London Test (TOLT), and the Visual Span Test (VST), and (iii) impulsivity factors from the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS). The RF model, with a classification accuracy of 76.67%, identified fourteen DMN connections, two neuropsychological variables (memory span and total correct scores of the forward condition of the VST), and all impulsivity factors as significantly important for classifying participants into either the AUD or CTL group. Specifically, the AUD group manifested hyperconnectivity across the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex and the prefrontal cortex as well as between the bilateral posterior cingulate cortex and the left inferior parietal lobule, while showing hypoconnectivity in long-range anterior–posterior and interhemispheric long-range connections. Individuals with AUD also showed poorer memory performance and increased impulsivity compared to CTL individuals. Furthermore, there were significant associations among FC, impulsivity, neuropsychological performance, and AUD status. These results confirm the previous findings that alterations in specific brain networks coupled with poor neuropsychological functioning and heightened impulsivity may characterize individuals with AUD, who can be efficiently identified using classification algorithms such as Random Forest.

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