Phytochemical interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder: A cluster co-occurrence network analysis using CiteSpace / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#This study investigated trends in the study of phytochemical treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).@*METHODS@#The Web of Science database (2007-2022) was searched using the search terms "phytochemicals" and "PTSD," and relevant literature was compiled. Network clustering co-occurrence analysis and qualitative narrative review were conducted.@*RESULTS@#Three hundred and one articles were included in the analysis of published research, which has surged since 2015 with nearly half of all relevant articles coming from North America. The category is dominated by neuroscience and neurology, with two journals, Addictive Behaviors and Drug and Alcohol Dependence, publishing the greatest number of papers on these topics. Most studies focused on psychedelic intervention for PTSD. Three timelines show an "ebb and flow" phenomenon between "substance use/marijuana abuse" and "psychedelic medicine/medicinal cannabis." Other phytochemicals account for a small proportion of the research and focus on topics like neurosteroid turnover, serotonin levels, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression.@*CONCLUSION@#Research on phytochemicals and PTSD is unevenly distributed across countries/regions, disciplines, and journals. Since 2015, the research paradigm shifted to constitute the mainstream of psychedelic research thus far, leading to the exploration of botanical active ingredients and molecular mechanisms. Other studies focus on anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation. Please cite this article as: Gao B, Qu YC, Cai MY, Zhang YY, Lu HT, Li HX, Tang YX, Shen H. Phytochemical interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder: A cluster co-occurrence network analysis using CiteSpace. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(4):385-396.

Relatos de exploradores e viajantes e primeiras pesquisas científicas com a ayahuasca, 1850-1950, no debate atual sobre o "renascimento psicodélico" / Reports by explorers and travelers and the first scientific studies on ayahuasca (dating from 1850 to 1950) within the current debate on the "psychedelic renaissance"

Resumo O artigo descreve associações e controvérsias entre usos indígenas e ocidentais da ayahuasca, de 1850 a 1950, na relação com o "renascimento psicodélico". Destaque na ciência desde 2000, esse movimento faz referência a 1960-1970, quando políticas antidrogas suspenderam pesquisas sobre "potenciais terapêuticos" de substâncias psicoativas. Argumenta-se que estudos pioneiros com a ayahuasca datam do início do século XX e mencionam relatos de expedições à Amazônia desde 1850. Esses artigos e relatos são analisados pelo aspecto histórico da teoria do ator-rede e de estudos recentes. Infere-se que a história ilumina o debate político atual sobre os usos, classificações e significados indígenas; o interesse farmacêutico na ayahuasca; e a discussão sobre "drogas".

Abstract This article describes the associations and controversies between indigenous and western uses of ayahuasca between 1850 and 1950 in relation to the "psychedelic renaissance." This movement has gained scientific attention since 2000, but hearkens back to the 1960s and 1970s, when anti-drug policy halted research on the "therapeutic potential" of psychoactive substances. Pioneering studies on ayahuasca date back to the early twentieth century and mention reports of expeditions to Amazonia from 1850 onward. Here, these articles and reports are analyzed according to the historical aspect of actor-network theory and recent studies. We infer that history casts light on the current political debate about indigenous uses, classifications, and meanings, pharmaceutical interest in ayahuasca, and the debate on "drugs."

Acute effects of ayahuasca in a juvenile non-human primate model of depression

Objective: The incidence rate of major depression in adolescents reaches approximately 14%. This disorder is usually recurrent, without remission of symptoms even after pharmacological treatment, and persists throughout adult life. Since the effects of antidepressants take approximately 2 weeks to begin, new pharmacological therapies are under continuous exploration. Recent evidence suggests that psychedelics could produce rapid antidepressant effects. In this study, we evaluated the potential antidepressant effects of ayahuasca in a juvenile non-human primate model of depression. Methods: While living with their families, juvenile marmosets (8 males; 7 females) were observed on alternate days for four weeks during a baseline phase. This was followed by 8 weeks of an induced depressive state protocol, the social isolated context (IC), in which the animals were monitored in the first and last weeks. Subsequently, five males and four females were randomly selected for treatment, first with a single administration of saline vehicle (1.67 mL/300 g of body weight, via gavage), followed by a single dose of ayahuasca (1.67 mL/300 g of body weight, via gavage). Both phases lasted 1 week and the animals were monitored daily. A third week of sampling was called the tardive-pharmacological effects phase. In all phases the marmosets were assessed for behavior, fecal cortisol levels, and body weight. Results: After IC, the animals presented typical hypocortisolemia, but cortisol recovered to baseline levels 24 h after an acute dose of ayahuasca; this recovery was not observed in vehicle-treated animals. Additionally, in males, ayahuasca, but not the vehicle, reduced scratching, a stereotypic behavior, and increased feeding. Ayahuasca treatment also improved body weight to baseline levels in both sexes. The ayahuasca-induced behavioral response had long-term effects (14 days). Thus, in this translational juvenile animal model of depression, ayahuasca presented beneficial effects. Conclusions: These results can contribute to the validation of ayahuasca as an antidepressant drug and encourage new studies on psychedelic drugs as a tool for treating mood disorders, including for adolescents with early-onset depression.

Translation and cultural adaptation of the States of Consciousness Questionnaire (SOCQ) and statistical validation of the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30) in Brazilian Portuguese

Abstract Background The States of Consciousness Questionnaire (SOCQ) was developed to assess the occurrence features of the change in consciousness induced by psilocybin, and includes the Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ), developed to assess the ocurrence of mystical experiences in altered states of consciousness. Objective To translate the SOCQ to Brazilian Portuguese and validate the 30-item MEQ. Methods The SOCQ was translated to Brazilian Portuguese and backtranslated into English. The two English versions were compared and differences corrected, resulting in a Brazilian translation. Using an internet-survey, 1504 Portuguese-speaking subjects answered the translated version of the SOCQ. The 4-factor version of MEQ30 was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis. Results A Brazilian Portuguese version of the SOCQ was made available. Goodness-of-fit indexes indicated that data met the factorial structure proposed for the English MEQ30. Factors presented excellent to acceptable reliability according to Cronbach’s alpha: mystical (0.95); positive mood (0.71); transcendence of time/space (0.83); and ineffability (0.81). Discussion The Brazilian Portuguese version of the MEQ30 is validated and it fits in the factorial structure performed on the original English version. The SOCQ is also available to the Brazilian Portuguese speaking population, allowing studies in different languages to be conducted and compared systematically.

Antidepressive and anxiolytic effects of ayahuasca: a systematic literature review of animal and human studies

Objective: To conduct a systematic literature review of animal and human studies reporting anxiolytic or antidepressive effects of ayahuasca or some of its isolated alkaloids (dimethyltryptamine, harmine, tetrahydroharmine, and harmaline). Methods: Papers published until 3 April 2015 were retrieved from the PubMed, LILACS and SciELO databases following a comprehensive search strategy and using a predetermined set of criteria for article selection. Results: Five hundred and fourteen studies were identified, of which 21 met the established criteria. Studies in animals have shown anxiolytic and antidepressive effects of ayahuasca, harmine, and harmaline, and experimental studies in humans and mental health assessments of experienced ayahuasca consumers also suggest that ayahuasca is associated with reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms. A pilot study reported rapid antidepressive effects of a single ayahuasca dose in six patients with recurrent depression. Conclusion: Considering the need for new drugs that produce fewer adverse effects and are more effective in reducing anxiety and depression symptomatology, the described effects of ayahuasca and its alkaloids should be further investigated.

Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report

Objectives: Ayahuasca (AYA), a natural psychedelic brew prepared from Amazonian plants and rich in dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and harmine, causes effects of subjective well-being and may therefore have antidepressant actions. This study sought to evaluate the effects of a single dose of AYA in six volunteers with a current depressive episode. Methods: Open-label trial conducted in an inpatient psychiatric unit. Results: Statistically significant reductions of up to 82% in depressive scores were observed between baseline and 1, 7, and 21 days after AYA administration, as measured on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), and the Anxious-Depression subscale of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). AYA administration resulted in nonsignificant changes in Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) scores and in the thinking disorder subscale of the BPRS, suggesting that AYA does not induce episodes of mania and/or hypomania in patients with mood disorders and that modifications in thought content, which could indicate psychedelic effects, are not essential for mood improvement. Conclusions: These results suggest that AYA has fast-acting anxiolytic and antidepressant effects in patients with a depressive disorder. .