Effects of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine on Rat Behaviors Relevant to Anxiety and Depression
Lindsay P. Cameron, Charlie J. Benson, Lee E. Dunlap, David E. Olson
ACS Chemical Neuroscience April 17, 2018 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.8b00134 via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDepression and anxiety impose large economic costs, and many patients do not respond to traditional antidepressants. A single dose of DMT, the main psychoactive compound in ayahuasca, initially increased anxiety-like behaviors in adult male rats but later reduced anxiety by speeding the extinction of conditioned fear memories. DMT also decreased immobility in the forced swim test, a standard measure of antidepressant-like effect. These results indicate that DMT produces both antidepressant and anxiety-reducing behavioral effects in rodents, supporting further research into ayahuasca and similar psychedelics as potential treatments for depression and PTSD.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats |
| Interventions | N N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Depression economics Psychology Neuroscience Pharmacology |
| Citations | 168 |
| Key finding | DMT produces antidepressant and anxiolytic behavioral effects in rodents, reducing anxiety through facilitated extinction of cued fear memory and decreasing immobility in the forced swim test. |
Abstract
Depression and anxiety disorders are debilitating diseases resulting in substantial economic costs to society. Traditional antidepressants often take weeks to months to positively affect mood and are ineffective for about 30% of the population. Alternatives, such as ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic capable of producing hallucinations, and the psychoactive tisane ayahuasca, have shown great promise due to their fast-acting nature and effectiveness in treatment-resistant populations. Here, we investigate the effects of N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), the principle hallucinogenic component of ayahuasca, in rodent behavioral assays relevant to anxiety and depression using adult, male, Sprague-Dawley rats. We find that while DMT elicits initial anxiogenic responses in several of these paradigms, its long-lasting effects tend to reduce anxiety by facilitating the extinction of cued fear memory. Furthermore, DMT reduces immobility in the forced swim test, which is a characteristic behavioral response induced by many antidepressants. Our results demonstrate that DMT produces antidepressant and anxiolytic behavioral effects in rodents, warranting further investigation of ayahuasca and classical psychedelics as treatments for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.