- ICH GCP
- US Clinical Trials Registry
- Clinical Trial NCT02914769
Antidepressant Effects of Ayahuasca: a Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial in Treatment Resistant Depression
Study Overview
Detailed Description
1) Background
The therapeutic effectiveness of currently available antidepressant is low. Less than 50% of the patients achieve remission after single treatment, and about 30% after four different treatments. Besides low response rates, pharmacological treatment are associated with several side effects and response onset is usually long (~2-3 weeks). Thus, great effort has been made to the development of alternative antidepressants. For instance, ketamine, a N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, has rapid and potent antidepressant effects in treatment of major depressive and bipolar disorders.
This proposal aims at testing the antidepressant effects of Ayahuasca, traditionally prepared by decoction of two plants: Psychotria viridis and Banisteriopsis caapi, long used by Amazonian Amerindians. P. viridis is a rich source of the serotonergic agonist N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), whereas B. caapi contains potent monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors (MAOi-A) such as harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine, a serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
Common effects of Ayahuasca include sedation, gastrointestinal distress, changes of spatiotemporal scaling, dissociation, sense of well-being, insights, feelings of apprehension, increased interoceptive attention and sensory pseudo-hallucinations. Effects begin at 30-40 min after oral intake, and last up to 4 hours. Previous studies suggest the absence of psychological, neuropsychological or psychiatric harm caused by prolonged Ayahuasca consumption, and it is not addictive, on the contrary, it also shows promise in treating addiction.
Recently, two preliminary open label studies have tested tolerability, safety and the antidepressant effect of Ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression. In the first study, six patients were recruited, in the second, 17 patients. The results show significant decrease in depression severity (HAM-D & MADRS scales) already at 2 hours after intake, which lasted for 21 days. Although the results are promising, they must be considered with caution, specially due to the lack of control of the placebo effect, which is generally high in clinical trials.
Thus, the present study is a randomized placebo-controlled trial in 50 patients with treatment resistant depression. Besides the Antidepressant effects of Ayahuasca, this study will also evaluate different biomarkers of depression, including anatomical and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), serum levels of BDNF, TNF-a, cortisol, IL-6, and IL-10, polysomnography, neuropsychological and psychiatric scales and questionnaires.
2. Methods
All 50 patients will undergo routine evaluation, including complete blood testing for individual glycemic profile, serum cholesterol and triglyceride, plasma sodium and potassium, urea and creatinine.
Patients will undergo a wash-out period, between 7 and 14 days prior to the experimental session, depending on the lifetime of the antidepressant in use. Experiments will take place at the Hospital Universitário Onofre Lopes, a tertiary university hospital affiliated to the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil.
In the treatment session, 25 patients will drink Ayahuasca, 25 will drink an inert placebo. Psychiatric scales (HAM-D, MADRS, BPRS, CADSS and YMRS) will be completed during treatment session, day one before (-D1), one day after (+D1), two days (+D2), seven days (+D7), fourteen days (+D14), one month (+M1), and up to six months (+M6) following the treatment session. The following exams will also be conducted at D-1 and D+1: neuropsychological tests (watch test, trail test, and N-back), structural and functional MRI, polysomnography and blood testing (BDNF, TNF-a, cortisol, oxytocin, IL-6, and IL-10).
Study Type
Enrollment (Actual)
Phase
- Phase 2
- Phase 1
Contacts and Locations
Study Locations
-
-
Rio Grande do Norte
-
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, 59012-300
- Draulio B de Araujo
-
-
Participation Criteria
Eligibility Criteria
Ages Eligible for Study
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
Genders Eligible for Study
Description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Age: 18-60 years old;
- Diagnostic of major depressive disorder (DSM-IV);
- At least two previous unsuccessful antidepressant medications;
- Current depressive episode (HAM-D >= 17).
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of psychosis;
- Present or past history of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia;
- Diagnosis of current clinical disease, based on history, physical examination and routine hematologic and biochemical tests;
- Serious and imminent suicidal risk;
- Pregnancy, current drug or alcohol dependence;
- Previous experience with ayahuasca.
Study Plan
How is the study designed?
Design Details
- Primary Purpose: Treatment
- Allocation: Randomized
- Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
- Masking: Triple
Arms and Interventions
Participant Group / Arm |
Intervention / Treatment |
---|---|
Placebo Comparator: placebo
patients receiving a passive placebo
|
patients will receive a single dose of a passive placebo.
|
Experimental: Ayahuasca
patients receiving Ayahuasca
|
patients will receive a single dose of ayahuasca.
|
What is the study measuring?
Primary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
HAM-D effect at D7
Time Frame: seven days after dosing
|
changes in depression severity, assessed by HAM-D scale, from baseline to 7 days after dosing
|
seven days after dosing
|
Secondary Outcome Measures
Outcome Measure |
Measure Description |
Time Frame |
---|---|---|
MADRS effect at D1, D2 and D7
Time Frame: one, two and seven days after dosing
|
changes in depression severity, assessed by MADRS scale, from baseline to 1 day, 2 days, and 7 days after dosing
|
one, two and seven days after dosing
|
Response rate at D7 (HAM-D)
Time Frame: seven days after dosing
|
response rate: reduction of 50% or more in baseline scores, assessed seven days after dosing by the HAM-D scale.
|
seven days after dosing
|
Response rate at D1, D2 and D7 (MADRS)
Time Frame: one, two, and seven days after dosing
|
response rate: reduction of 50% or more in baseline scores, assessed at one day, two days and seven days after dosing by the MADRS scale.
|
one, two, and seven days after dosing
|
Remission rate at D7 (HAM-D)
Time Frame: seven days after dosing
|
remission rate: HAM-D≤7 at D7.
|
seven days after dosing
|
Remission rate at D1, D2 and D7 (MADRS)
Time Frame: one, two and seven days after dosing
|
remission rate: MADRS≤10 at D1, D2 and D7
|
one, two and seven days after dosing
|
Collaborators and Investigators
Collaborators
Investigators
- Principal Investigator: Draulio B de Araujo, Ph.D, Brain Institute - UFRN
Publications and helpful links
General Publications
- Sanches RF, de Lima Osorio F, Dos Santos RG, Macedo LR, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, Wichert-Ana L, de Araujo DB, Riba J, Crippa JA, Hallak JE. Antidepressant Effects of a Single Dose of Ayahuasca in Patients With Recurrent Depression: A SPECT Study. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2016 Feb;36(1):77-81. doi: 10.1097/JCP.0000000000000436.
- Osorio Fde L, Sanches RF, Macedo LR, Santos RG, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, Wichert-Ana L, Araujo DB, Riba J, Crippa JA, Hallak JE. Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report. Braz J Psychiatry. 2015 Jan-Mar;37(1):13-20. doi: 10.1590/1516-4446-2014-1496.
- Zeifman RJ, Palhano-Fontes F, Hallak J, Arcoverde E, Maia-Oliveira JP, Araujo DB. The Impact of Ayahuasca on Suicidality: Results From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Pharmacol. 2019 Nov 19;10:1325. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01325. eCollection 2019.
- de Almeida RN, Galvao ACM, da Silva FS, Silva EADS, Palhano-Fontes F, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, de Araujo LB, Lobao-Soares B, Galvao-Coelho NL. Modulation of Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor by a Single Dose of Ayahuasca: Observation From a Randomized Controlled Trial. Front Psychol. 2019 Jun 4;10:1234. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01234. eCollection 2019.
- Palhano-Fontes F, Barreto D, Onias H, Andrade KC, Novaes MM, Pessoa JA, Mota-Rolim SA, Osorio FL, Sanches R, Dos Santos RG, Tofoli LF, de Oliveira Silveira G, Yonamine M, Riba J, Santos FR, Silva-Junior AA, Alchieri JC, Galvao-Coelho NL, Lobao-Soares B, Hallak JEC, Arcoverde E, Maia-de-Oliveira JP, Araujo DB. Rapid antidepressant effects of the psychedelic ayahuasca in treatment-resistant depression: a randomized placebo-controlled trial. Psychol Med. 2019 Mar;49(4):655-663. doi: 10.1017/S0033291718001356. Epub 2018 Jun 15.
Study record dates
Study Major Dates
Study Start
Primary Completion (Actual)
Study Completion (Actual)
Study Registration Dates
First Submitted
First Submitted That Met QC Criteria
First Posted (Estimate)
Study Record Updates
Last Update Posted (Actual)
Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria
Last Verified
More Information
Terms related to this study
Keywords
Additional Relevant MeSH Terms
Other Study ID Numbers
- CNPq-466760/2014-0
Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)
Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?
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