Research library / Clinical trial

Antidepressant Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Patients With Recurrent Depression: A SPECT Study

Sanches RF, de Lima Osório F, Dos Santos RG, et al. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology 2016;36(1):77-81

This study followed 17 inpatients with recurrent depression who each drank a single dose of ayahuasca, the Amazonian brew that contains DMT and harmine. Depression ratings were taken during the acute effects and for up to three weeks afterwards, and brain blood flow was measured with SPECT imaging eight hours after the dose. Scores on several depression scales dropped significantly from 80 minutes onward and stayed lower through day 21. The scans showed more blood flow in areas involved in mood and emotion, including the nucleus accumbens and insula. Nearly half of participants vomited; no other adverse effects were recorded. Everyone knew they were getting ayahuasca and there was no comparison group, so the improvement cannot be separated from expectation or hospital care. The authors themselves call for placebo-controlled trials.