European journal of pharmacology
April 3, 1991
S D Glick, K Rossman, S Steindorf et al.
195 citations
Ibogaine, a naturally occurring alkaloid, reduced intravenous morphine self-administration in rats. The drug caused an acute decrease in morphine intake in the hour after treatment, but this was linked to abnormal motor behavior (whole body tremors). A more notable aftereffect occurred a day later, when ibogaine should have been fully eliminated from the body and no obvious signs of exposure remained. Some rats showed a persistent decrease in morphine intake for days or weeks after a single injection; others required two or three weekly injections before showing such changes, and a few rats were resistant to prolonged aftereffects. The aftereffect was not due to conditioned aversion. Ibogaine also acutely suppressed bar-pressing for water but showed no aftereffect on that behavior, suggesting some specificity for morphine reinforcement.
Brain research
September 19, 1994
S D Glick, M E Kuehne, J Raucci et al.
189 citations
Several iboga alkaloids and the related harmala alkaloid harmaline reduce morphine and cocaine self-administration in rats in a dose-dependent manner (2.5-80 mg/kg) during the hour after treatment. Some alkaloids, including ibogaine, tabernanthine, desethylcoronaridine, and the R-isomers of coronaridine and ibogamine, also decrease intake the following day. In some rats, a single injection or two to three weekly injections produce persistent decreases lasting several days, with R-ibogamine showing the most consistent long-term effects. The study also assessed the tremor-inducing and neurotoxic potential of these compounds and their effects on dopamine levels in brain reward regions.
Neuropharmacology
May 1, 1992
S D Glick, K Rossman, N C Rao et al.
121 citations
Ibogaine, a compound reported to suppress narcotic withdrawal in humans, was tested in morphine-dependent rats. Rats received morphine for five days, then ibogaine (20, 40, or 80 mg/kg) or saline 30 minutes before naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal. Doses of 40 and 80 mg/kg significantly reduced four withdrawal signs: wet-dog shakes, grooming, teeth chattering, and diarrhea. Three other signs—weight loss, burying, and flinching—were unaffected. Ibogaine caused head and body tremors lasting 2-3 hours, which might have interfered with withdrawal expression. In a second experiment, ibogaine given 4 hours before naltrexone, when tremors were absent, still significantly reduced the same four withdrawal signs, indicating a genuine anti-withdrawal effect.