Laboratorio de Sueño y Epilepsia, Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría "Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz", Calz. México-Xochimilco 101, Col. San Lorenzo Huipulco, 14370, Ciudad de México, Mexico. Electronic address: adrianmc@imp.edu.mx.
2 papers in the library · 24 citations · publishing 2016-2022
A hydroalcoholic extract of Tabernaemontana arborea and its alkaloids ibogaine and voacangine altered brain electrical activity in mice. The extract at 56.2 and 100 mg/kg and ibogaine at 30 mg/kg increased delta and reduced alpha EEG band power, indicating central nervous system depression. Voacangine at 30 mg/kg flattened EEG patterns. None of the treatments modified seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole, but the extract at 100 mg/kg combined with the convulsant caused sudden death. Paroxysmal EEG activity from the extract and ibogaine was explored; a serotonin 5-HT1A receptor antagonist blocked the extract's but not ibogaine's paroxysmal activity, implicating serotonin neurotransmission in the extract's excitatory effects.
Extracts of the herb Salvia divinorum produce sedative-like effects in mice and rats, altering normal sleep patterns. In mice, non-polar, medium polar, and polar extracts all reduced activity, with the medium polar extract showing the strongest effects. In rats, the medium polar extract, which contains salvinorins, fragmented sleep by decreasing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and increasing quiet wakefulness at doses of 10 and 100 mg/kg. These findings indicate that S. divinorum has depressant properties that disrupt physiological sleep architecture, supporting its traditional use as a tranquilizer but raising questions about its safety for sleep.