Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis of electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings in conscious rats reveals that different drugs alter brainwave frequencies in distinct ways. Domoic acid administration links slow-wave delta and theta activity with behavioral seizure type. Ibogaine pretreatment before cocaine increases power in the alpha(1) band, suggesting serotonergic involvement, and lowers the threshold for cocaine-induced electrographic seizures by increasing delta and theta power. Two weeks of daily cocaine reduces slow-wave ECoG activity 24 hours after the last injection, mirroring reduced frontal cortex metabolism in chronic human users. Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) at 400 and 800 mg/kg increases energy across all except beta(2) bands, producing EEG patterns resembling absence seizures in human petit mal epilepsy.
Pretreatment with ibogaine dampens the brain's reaction to cocaine in rats. In awake adult male rats, cocaine alone caused a brief increase in alpha1 brain wave power and desynchronization in alpha2 and beta bands, along with a surge in dopamine levels in the caudate nucleus. After ibogaine pretreatment, cocaine instead produced a prolonged increase in delta, theta, and alpha1 power lasting up to an hour, and dopamine levels decreased further rather than rising. Dopamine turnover increased with ibogaine alone but not when cocaine followed. These changes in electrical brain activity and neurotransmitter levels indicate a reduced response to cocaine after ibogaine pretreatment.