Seeing With the Eyes Shut: Neural Basis of Enhanced Imagery Following Ayahuasca Ingestion

Araújo, Dráulio Barros de; Ribeiro, Sidarta Tollendal Gomes; Cecchi, Guillermo A.; Carvalho, Fabiana M.; Sanchez, Tiago A.; Pinto, Joel P.; Martinis, Bruno S. de; Crippa, Jose A.; Hallak, Jaime E.C.; Antonio C. Santos, Antonio C.

Seeing With the Eyes Shut: Neural Basis of Enhanced Imagery Following Ayahuasca Ingestion

Página do item simplificado Estatísticas

dc.contributor.author	Araújo, Dráulio Barros de
dc.contributor.author	Ribeiro, Sidarta Tollendal Gomes
dc.contributor.author	Cecchi, Guillermo A.
dc.contributor.author	Carvalho, Fabiana M.
dc.contributor.author	Sanchez, Tiago A.
dc.contributor.author	Pinto, Joel P.
dc.contributor.author	Martinis, Bruno S. de
dc.contributor.author	Crippa, Jose A.
dc.contributor.author	Hallak, Jaime E.C.
dc.contributor.author	Antonio C. Santos, Antonio C.
dc.date.accessioned	2017-05-26T17:34:32Z
dc.date.available	2017-05-26T17:34:32Z
dc.date.issued	2011
dc.description.resumo	The hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca, a rich source of serotonergic agonists and reuptake inhibitors, has been used for ages by Amazonian populations during religious ceremonies. Among all perceptual changes induced by Ayahuasca, the most remarkable are vivid ‘‘seeings.’’ During such seeings, users report potent imagery. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a closed-eyes imagery task, we found that Ayahuasca produces a robust increase in the activation of several occipital, temporal, and frontal areas. In the primary visual area, the effect was comparable in magnitude to the activation levels of natural image with the eyes open. Importantly, this effect was specifically correlated with the occurrence of individual perceptual changes measured by psychiatric scales. The activity of cortical areas BA30 and BA37, known to be involved with episodic memory and the processing of contextual associations, was also potentiated by Ayahuasca intake during imagery. Finally, we detected a positive modulation by Ayahuasca of BA 10, a frontal area involved with intentional prospective imagination, working memory and the processing of information from internal sources. Therefore, our results indicate that Ayahuasca seeings stem from the activation of an extensive network generally involved with vision, memory, and intention. By boosting the intensity of recalled images to the same level of natural image, Ayahuasca lends a status of reality to inner experiences. It is therefore understandable why Ayahuasca was culturally selected over many centuries by rain forest shamans to facilitate mystical revelations of visual nature.	pt_BR
dc.identifier.issn	2232-9935
dc.identifier.uri	https://repositorio.ufrn.br/jspui/handle/123456789/23128
dc.language	eng	pt_BR
dc.rights	Acesso Aberto	pt_BR
dc.subject	Ayahuasca	pt_BR
dc.subject	Mental imagery	pt_BR
dc.subject	Functional magnetic resonance imaging	pt_BR
dc.subject	Psychedelic substance	pt_BR
dc.subject	N,N-dimethyltryptamine	pt_BR
dc.subject	Monoamine oxidase inhibitors	pt_BR
dc.title	Seeing With the Eyes Shut: Neural Basis of Enhanced Imagery Following Ayahuasca Ingestion	pt_BR
dc.type	article	pt_BR