Skip to content

Effects of ibogaine on performance in the 8-arm radial maze.

Scott Helsley, David Fiorella, R A Rabin, Jerrold C Winter

Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior September 1, 1997 DOI: 10.1016/s0091-3057(96)00476-5 (opens in new tab)

Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Controlled experiment Peer reviewed
Sample size 12
Population Rats
Intervention Ibogaine
Dose 50 mg/kg IP administered twice with approximately 8 h between injections; 30 mg/kg IP
Topics Ibogaine
Citations 9
Key findings Ibogaine did not impair acquisition or efficiency in a radial maze task but reduced response rate.

Abstract

The effects of ibogaine were studied in 12 rats trained to perform in an 8-arm radial maze. In Phase I, the mean number of sessions to criterion and cumulative errors to criterion, as well as mean response rate, were determined for two groups of six animals in a task where only four arms were baited. Group 1 received a potentially neurotoxic dose of ibogaine (50 mg/kg IP administered twice, with approximately 8 h between injections), and group 2 received vehicle. Both groups had similar levels of performance, but ibogaine-treated subjects had a significantly lower rate of responding in the maze. During Phase II, subjects were given a range of doses of ibogaine 20 min prior to working in the maze. Ibogaine produced a dose-dependent decrease in response rate, but efficiency (% arms correct) was not affected. In Phase III, subjects were divided into the same groups as they had been in Phase I. Ibogaine (30 mg/kg, IP) or vehicle was administered immediately following daily sessions in the maze. Ibogaine-treated rats committed significantly fewer errors than those in the vehicle treated group. Thus, in the present study, ibogaine failed to produce any deleterious effects on either acquisition of a novel task or efficiency in a previously learned task.