Ceremonial Ayahuasca in Amazonian Retreats-Mental Health and Epigenetic Outcomes From a Six-Month Naturalistic Study.

Autor:	Ruffell SGD; Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London & South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, United Kingdom.; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom., Netzband N; Department of Health and Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom., Tsang W; Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom., Davies M; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom., Butler M; Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom., Rucker JJH; Kings College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom., Tófoli LF; Interdisciplinary Cooperation for Ayahuasca Research and Outreach (ICARO), University of Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil., Dempster EL; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom., Young AH; Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London & South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, United Kingdom., Morgan CJA; College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Washington Singer Laboratories, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in psychiatry [Front Psychiatry] 2021 Jun 09; Vol. 12, pp. 687615. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jun 09 (Print Publication: 2021).
DOI:	10.3389/fpsyt.2021.687615
Abstrakt:	Ayahuasca is a natural psychoactive brew, used in traditional ceremonies in the Amazon basin. Recent research has indicated that ayahuasca is pharmacologically safe and its use may be positively associated with improvements in psychiatric symptoms. The mechanistic effects of ayahuasca are yet to be fully established. In this prospective naturalistic study, 63 self-selected participants took part in ayahuasca ceremonies at a retreat centre in the Peruvian Amazon. Participants undertook the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Self-compassion Scale (SCS), Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), as well as secondary measures, pre- and post-retreat and at 6-months. Participants also provided saliva samples for pre/post epigenetic analysis. Overall, a statistically significant decrease in BDI-II (13.9 vs. 6.1, p < 0.001), STAI (44.4 vs. 34.3 p < 0.001) scores, and CORE-OM scores were observed (37.3 vs. 22.3 p < 0.001) at post-retreat, as well as a concurrent increase in SCS (3.1 vs. 3.6, p < 0.001). Psychometric improvements were sustained, and on some measures values further decreased at 6-month follow-up, suggesting a potential for lasting therapeutic effects. Changes in memory valence were linked to the observed psychometric improvements. Epigenetic findings were equivocal, but indicated that further research in candidate genes, such as sigma non-opioid intracellular receptor 1 (SIGMAR1), is warranted. This data adds to the literature supporting ayahuasca's possible positive impact on mental health when conducted in a ceremonial context. Further investigation into clinical samples, as well as greater analyses into the mechanistic action of ayahuasca is advised. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2021 Ruffell, Netzband, Tsang, Davies, Butler, Rucker, Tófoli, Dempster, Young and Morgan.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
Externí odkaz:	Zobrazit plný text záznamu