Differential effects of ibogaine on behavioural and dopamine sensitization to cocaine.
K K Szumlinski, I M Maisonneuve, S D Glick
European Journal of Pharmacology June 16, 2000 DOI: 10.1016/s0014-2999(00)00325-3 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractIbogaine, given to rats 19 hours before a cocaine challenge, reversed a key brain change caused by repeated cocaine use: the sensitized dopamine response in the nucleus accumbens. While ibogaine did not alter the dopamine increase from a single cocaine dose, it eliminated the amplified dopamine release that normally occurs in cocaine-sensitized animals. This effect on neuroadaptation may underlie ibogaine's proposed anti-addictive properties.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Interventions | Ibogaine Cocaine |
| Dose | 40 mg/kg i.p. ibogaine; 20 mg/kg cocaine challenge; 5 x 15 mg/kg cocaine for sensitization |
| Topics | Ibogaine |
| Keywords | Addiction treatment Cocaine addiction Neuroadaptation |
| Citations | 19 |
| Key finding | Ibogaine pretreatment reversed the expression of cocaine-induced dopamine sensitization in the nucleus accumbens without affecting the dopamine response to acute cocaine. |
Abstract
To investigate a possible basis for the proposed anti-addictive property of ibogaine, the effects of ibogaine (40 mg/kg, i.p., 19 h earlier) on the expression of sensitization induced by cocaine were investigated. Ibogaine pretreatment potentiated the increase in the stereotypic effects of a cocaine challenge (20 mg/kg) in both sensitized (5 x 15 mg/kg, i.p.) and acutely treated rats. However, while ibogaine pretreatment did not significantly alter the dopamine response in the nucleus accumbens to acute cocaine, it abolished the expression of cocaine-induced dopamine sensitization. This result demonstrates that ibogaine pretreatment can reverse one of the neuroadaptations produced by chronic cocaine administration, an effect that may contribute to its putative anti-addictive property.