A5000955196- Psychedelics and Drug Studies
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Biochemical Analysis and Sensing Techniques
- Chemical synthesis and alkaloids
- Treatment of Major Depression
- Mental Health Research Topics
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces
- Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices
- Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
- Sleep and related disorders
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Olfactory and Sensory Function Studies
- Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
- Forensic Toxicology and Drug Analysis
- Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Intraoperative Neuromonitoring and Anesthetic Effects
- Mind wandering and attention
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Studies
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte
2014-2024
Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes
2013-2024
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies
2024
Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro
2023
Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
2023
Recent open-label trials show that psychedelics, such as ayahuasca, hold promise fast-onset antidepressants in treatment-resistant depression.To test the antidepressant effects of we conducted a parallel-arm, double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial 29 patients with depression. Patients received single dose either ayahuasca or placebo. We assessed changes depression severity Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and Hamilton scale at baseline, 1 (D1), 2 (D2), 7 (D7) days...
The experiences induced by psychedelics share a wide variety of subjective features, related to the complex changes in perception and cognition this class drugs. A remarkable increase introspection is at core these altered states consciousness. Self-oriented mental activity has been consistently linked Default Mode Network (DMN), set brain regions more active during rest than execution goal-directed task. Here we used fMRI technique inspect DMN psychedelic state Ayahuasca ten experienced...
Serotonergic psychedelics are emerging as potential antidepressant therapeutic tools, suggested in a recent randomized controlled trial with ayahuasca for treatment-resistant depression. Preclinical and clinical studies have that serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels increase after treatment serotoninergic antidepressants, but the exact role of BDNF biomarker diagnostic major depression is still poorly understood. Here we investigated healthy controls (
The entropic brain hypothesis holds that the key facts concerning psychedelics are partially explained in terms of increased entropy brain's functional connectivity. Ayahuasca is a psychedelic beverage Amazonian indigenous origin with legal status Brazil religious and scientific settings. In this context, we use tools concepts from theory complex networks to analyze resting state fMRI data brains human subjects under two distinct conditions: (i) ordinary waking (ii) an altered consciousness...
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazon brew and its potential antidepressant properties have recently been explored in scientific settings. We conducted double-blind placebo-controlled trial of ayahuasca with treatment-resistant depression patients (n = 28) healthy controls 45).We are evaluating the blood inflammatory biomarkers: C-reactive protein interleukin 6, as consequence intake their correlation serum cortisol brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels. Blood samples were collected at...
Major depression is a highly prevalent mood disorder, affecting about 350 million people, and around 30% of the patients are resistant to currently available antidepressant medications. Recent evidence from randomized controlled trial supports rapid effects psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression. The aim this study was explore effect on plasma cortisol awakening salivary response, same group (MD) healthy volunteers (C). Subjects received single dose or placebo (dosing...
Pranayama refers to a set of yoga breathing exercises. Recent evidence suggests that the practice pranayama has positive effects on measures clinical stress and anxiety. This study explored impact Bhastrika training program emotion processing, anxiety affect. We used randomized controlled trial design with thirty healthy young adults assessed at baseline after 4 weeks practices. Two functional MRI protocols were both post-intervention: an task as well resting-state acquisition. Our results...
Neuroimaging studies have just begun to explore the acute effects of psychedelics on large-scale brain networks' functional organization. Even less is known about neural correlates subacute taking place days after psychedelic experience. This study explores changes primary sensory networks and supporting higher-order affective self-referential functions 24 hours a single session with ayahuasca.We leveraged task-free magnetic resonance imaging data 1 day before randomized placebo-controlled...
Suicide is a major public health problem. Given increasing suicide rates and limitations surrounding current interventions, there an urgent need for innovative interventions suicidality. Although ayahuasca has been shown to target mental concerns associated with suicidality (i.e., depression hopelessness), research not yet explored the impact of on Therefore, we conducted secondary analyses randomized placebo-controlled trial in which individuals treatment-resistant were administered one...
For a century, psychedelics have been investigated as models of psychosis for demonstrating phenomenological similarities with psychotic experiences and therapeutic treating depression, anxiety, substance use disorders. This study sought to explore this paradoxical relationship connecting key parameters the experience, psychotherapy, psychedelic experience.In randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design, 24 healthy volunteers received 50 μg d-lysergic acid diethylamide...
Background: Controversy surrounds psychedelics and their potential to boost creativity. To date, psychedelic studies lack a uniform conceptualization of creativity methodologically rigorous designs. Aims: This study aimed at addressing previous issues by examining the effects lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) on using multimodal tasks multidimensional approaches. Methods: In randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, 24 healthy volunteers received 50 μg LSD or inactive...
Hearing aids (HAs) are an effective strategy for auditory rehabilitation in patients with peripheral hearing deficits. Yet, the neurophysiological mechanisms behind HA use still unclear. Thus far, most studies have focused on changes system, although it is expected that deficits affect a number of cognitive systems, notably speech. In present study, we used audiometric evaluations 14 bilateral loss before and after one year continuous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) cortical...
With the aim of further advancing understanding human brain's functional connectivity, we propose a network metric which term geodesic entropy. This quantifies Shannon entropy distance distribution to specific node from all other nodes. It allows characterize influence exerted on considering statistics overall structure. The measurement and characterization this structural information has potential greatly improve our sustained activity emergent behaviors in networks. We apply method study...
The comprehension of the pathophysiology major depressive disorder (MDD) is essential to strengthening precision psychiatry. In order determine relationship between MDD and its clinical progression, analyzed by severity symptoms sleep quality, we conducted a study assessing different peripheral molecular biomarkers, including levels plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), serum mature brain-derived neurotrophic factor (mBDNF), cortisol (SC), salivary awakening response (CAR), patients with (
Sleep disturbance is a symptom consistently found in major depression, which associated with longer course of illness, reduced response to treatment and increased risk relapse recurrence. Chronic insomnia has been changes cortisol serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, turn are also changed depression. Here we evaluated the relationship between sleep quality, salivary awakening (CAR) BDNF levels patients resistance depression (n = 18), compared control group healthy subjects...
Introduction: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a naturally occurring psychedelic tryptamine contained in the indigenous ayahuasca brew, has shown antidepressant effects. This open-label clinical trial investigates for first time efficacy of vaporized DMT treatment-resistant depression (TRD).