A single injection of ibogaine (IBO) rapidly increases the hormones prolactin and corticosterone in adult male rats, with prolactin returning to normal within 60 minutes and corticosterone within 24 hours. IBO also reduces dopamine in the striatum and frontal cortex for up to two hours while raising dopamine metabolites, indicating altered dopamine processing. Some dopamine metabolite levels remain below normal 24 hours later. Serotonin and its metabolite decrease only in the striatum at 60 minutes. These effects may relate to ibogaine's reported ability to help reduce drug craving, but further research is needed.
In female C57BL/6N mice, methamphetamine caused a rise in body temperature and increased levels of a stress protein (HSP-72) in the caudate nucleus. Ibogaine alone lowered body temperature. When ibogaine was given before methamphetamine, it completely prevented the hyperthermia and reduced HSP-72 expression. These results suggest ibogaine can block methamphetamine-induced brain stress and temperature changes.