Moderators of ayahuasca's biological antidepressant action.

Introduction: The understanding of biological responses to psychedelics with antidepressant potential is imperative. Here we report how a set of acute parameters, namely emotional (depressive symptoms), cognitive (psychedelic experience), and physiological (salivary cortisol), recorded during an ayahuasca dosing session, modulated serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serum cortisol (SC), serum interleukin 6 (IL-6), plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), and salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR).

Methods: Results were analyzed 2 days after the psychedelic intervention (ayahuasca) versus placebo in both patients with treatment-resistant depression and healthy volunteers.

Prophylactic action of ayahuasca in a non-human primate model of depressive-like behavior.

Observational studies of long-term users of ayahuasca, an Amazonian psychedelic brew, suggest an increase in resilience improvements in emotion and cognition. Ayahuasca has also demonstrated clinical antidepressant effects in human and animal studies; however, its potential prophylactic action in depression has not been previously studied. Therefore, this experimental study sought to evaluate the potential prophylactic effects of repeated and long-term ayahuasca use, the modulation of resilience, in a non-human primate animal model, , subjected to a protocol for induction of depressive-like behavior.

Animal Model of Neonatal Immune Challenge by Lipopolysaccharide: A Study of Sex Influence in Behavioral and Immune/Neurotrophic Alterations in Juvenile Mice.

Introduction: The prenatal/perinatal exposure to infections may trigger neurodevelopmental alterations that lead to neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous evidence points to long-term behavioral consequences, such as autistic-like behaviors in rodents induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) pre- and postnatal (PN) exposure during critical neurodevelopmental periods. Additionally, sex influences the prevalence and symptoms of ASD.

Ayahuasca for the Treatment of Depression.

Ayahuasca, the vine of the souls in Quechua, is a psychedelic brew with a few formulations that most often include the bark of a liana in the Malpighiaceae family (Banisteriopsis caapi), with leaves from a shrub in the coffee family Rubiaceae (Psychotria viridis). Mixed with water and boiled for hours or days, it produces a brownish-colored liquid with a strong and characteristic taste. Ayahuasca contains the psychedelic tryptamine N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOi), and in the past few years, it has been tested.

Mental Health in COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Review of Prevalence Meta-Analyses.

Mental health burden has been massively reported during the COVID-19 pandemic period. Aiming to summarise these data, we present a meta-review of meta-analyses that evaluated the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on anxiety, depressive and stress symptoms, psychological distress, post-traumatic stress disorder/symptoms (PTSD), and sleep disturbance, reporting its prevalence on general public (GP) and health care workers (HCW). A search was performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, and the Web of Science.

Resveratrol prevents long-term structural hippocampal alterations and modulates interneuron organization in an animal model of ASD.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in both communication and social interaction, besides repetitive or stereotyped behavior. Although the etiology is unknown, environmental factors such as valproic acid (VPA) increase the risk of ASD onset. Resveratrol (RSV), a neuroprotective molecule, has been shown to counteract the effects of intrauterine exposure to VPA.

Stress, memory, and implications for major depression.

The stress response comprises a phylogenetically conserved set of cognitive, physiological, and behavioral responses that evolved as a survival strategy. In this context, the memory of stressful events would be adaptive as it could avoid re-exposure to an adverse event, otherwise the event would be facilitated in positively stressful or non-distressful conditions. However, the interaction between stress and memory comprises complex responses, some of them which are not yet completely understood, and which depend on several factors such as the memory system that is recruited, the nature and duration of the stressful event, as well as the timing in which this interaction takes place.

Structural brain abnormalities in schizophrenia in adverse environments: examining the effect of poverty and violence in six Latin American cities.

Background: Social and environmental factors such as poverty or violence modulate the risk and course of schizophrenia. However, how they affect the brain in patients with psychosis remains unclear.

Aims: We studied how environmental factors are related to brain structure in patients with schizophrenia and controls in Latin America, where these factors are large and unequally distributed.

Changes in inflammatory biomarkers are related to the antidepressant effects of Ayahuasca.

Background: Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazon brew and its potential antidepressant properties have recently been explored in scientific settings. We conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled trial of ayahuasca with treatment-resistant depression patients ( = 28) and healthy controls ( = 45).

Aims: We are evaluating the blood inflammatory biomarkers: C-reactive protein and interleukin 6, as a potential consequence of ayahuasca intake and their correlation with serum cortisol and brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels.

Changes in Cortisol but Not in Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Modulate the Association Between Sleep Disturbances and Major Depression.

Sleep disturbance is a symptom consistently found in major depression and is associated with a longer course of illness, reduced response to treatment, increased risk of relapse and recurrence. Chronic insomnia has been associated with changes in cortisol and serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, which in turn are also changed in major depression. Here, we evaluated the relationship between sleep quality, salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR), and serum BDNF levels in patients with sleep disturbance and treatment-resistant major depression ( = 18), and in a control group of healthy subjects with good ( = 21) and poor ( = 18) sleep quality.

Modulation of Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor by a Single Dose of Ayahuasca: Observation From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Serotonergic psychedelics are emerging as potential antidepressant therapeutic tools, as suggested in a recent randomized controlled trial with ayahuasca for treatment-resistant depression. Preclinical and clinical studies have suggested that serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels increase after treatment with serotoninergic antidepressants, but the exact role of BDNF as a biomarker for diagnostic and treatment of major depression is still poorly understood. Here we investigated serum BDNF levels in healthy controls ( = 45) and patients with treatment-resistant depression ( = 28) before (baseline) and 48 h after (D2) a single dose of ayahuasca or placebo.

White matter volume is decreased in bipolar disorder at early and late stages.

Introduction: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a debilitating mood condition that affects approximately 1.3% of people worldwide, although some studies report up to 3.9% lifetime prevalence and 4-6% in adults when broad diagnostic criteria are applied.

Neonatal Immune Challenge with Lipopolysaccharide Triggers Long-lasting Sex- and Age-related Behavioral and Immune/Neurotrophic Alterations in Mice: Relevance to Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Early-life challenges, particularly infections and stress, are related to neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. Here, we conducted a wide range of behavioral tests in periadolescent (postnatal day (PN) 35) and adult (PN70) Swiss mice neonatally challenged with LPS on PN5 and -7, to unveil behavioral alterations triggered by LPS exposure. Immune and neurotrophic (brain-derived neurotrophic factor-BDNF) alterations were determined in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), hippocampus (HC), and hypothalamus (HT).

Association of interleukin-10 levels with age of onset and duration of illness in patients with major depressive disorder.

Objective: To investigate peripheral levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) and evaluate the relationship between IL-10, age of disease onset, and duration of illness.

Methods: Case-control study nested in a population-based cohort of 231 individuals (age 18-24 years) living in Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Participants were screened for psychopathology using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I).

Association of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) with diagnosis of delirium in oncology inpatients.

Objective: To evaluate brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) blood levels as disease biomarkers of delirium in oncology inpatients.

Methods: Seventeen oncology inpatients with delirium, 28 oncology inpatients without delirium, and 25 non-oncology controls (caregivers) were consecutively recruited from a Brazilian cancer center. This sample was matched by age, sex, and education level.

Inflammation, neurotrophism and oxidative stress and childhood psychopathology in a large community sample.

Objective: To investigate the association between peripheral biomarkers and child psychopathology in a large community sample.

Method: A total of 625 aged 6- to 13-year old subjects were recruited from a community school-based study. Psychopathology was assessed using the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL).

Quality of life, social functioning, family structure, and treatment history associated with crack cocaine use in youth from the general population.

Objective: To assess the relationship between crack cocaine use and dimensions of quality of life and social functioning in young adults.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study involving 1,560 participants in Pelotas, Brazil. Crack cocaine use and abuse were investigated using the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) inventory.

Pharmacological treatment and staging in bipolar disorder: evidence from clinical practice.

Objectives: Staging models for medical diseases are widely used to guide treatment and prognosis. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic condition and it is among the most disabling disorders in medicine. The staging model proposed by Kapczinski in 2009 presents four progressive clinical stages of BD.

The role of inflammation and microglial activation in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.

Psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia, affect a significant percentage of the world population. These disorders are associated with educational difficulties, decreased productivity and reduced quality of life, but their underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Recently, studies have suggested that psychiatric disorders could be considered as inflammatory disorders, even though the exact mechanisms underlying this association are not known.

Effects of minocycline add-on treatment on brain morphometry and cerebral perfusion in recent-onset schizophrenia.

Increasing evidence suggests that the tetracycline antibiotic minocycline has neuroprotective effects and is a potential treatment for schizophrenia. However, the mechanisms of action of minocycline in the CNS remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of minocycline on brain morphology and cerebral perfusion in patients with recent-onset schizophrenia after 12months of a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of minocycline add-on treatment.

Anxiety disorders are associated with quality of life impairment in patients with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes: a case-control study.

Objective: To assess the presence of anxiety disorders and quality of life in patients with insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Case-control study of 996 patients with type 2 diabetes and 2,145 individuals without diabetes. The sole inclusion criterion for the case group was insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes.

Septic encephalopathy: does inflammation drive the brain crazy?

Sepsis and the multiorgan dysfunction syndrome are among the most common reasons for admission to an intensive care unit, and are a leading cause of death. During sepsis, the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the first organs affected, and this is clinically manifested as sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). It is postulated that the common final pathway that leads to SAE symptoms is the deregulation of neurotransmitters, mainly acetylcholine.

Mitochondria and the central nervous system: searching for a pathophysiological basis of psychiatric disorders.

Introduction: Mitochondrial dysfunction has been postulated to participate in the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders, but there is no consensus as to its role. The aim of this paper is to review recent studies and to outline the current understanding of the association between mitochondrial dysfunction and psychiatric disorders.

Methodology: We reviewed articles that evaluated mitochondrial dysfunction and psychiatric disorders, with a particular focus on depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, and the association between mitochondrial dysfunction and development of these disorders.

Fluvoxamine alters the activity of energy metabolism enzymes in the brain.

Objective: Several studies support the hypothesis that metabolism impairment is involved in the pathophysiology of depression and that some antidepressants act by modulating brain energy metabolism. Thus, we evaluated the activity of Krebs cycle enzymes, the mitochondrial respiratory chain, and creatine kinase in the brain of rats subjected to prolonged administration of fluvoxamine.

Methods: Wistar rats received daily administration of fluvoxamine in saline (10, 30, and 60 mg/kg) for 14 days.