Gamma band alterations and REM-like traits underpin the acute effect of the atypical psychedelic ibogaine
Joaquín González, Matías Cavelli, Santiago Castro-Zaballa, Alejandra Mondino, Adriano B. L. Tort, Nicolás Rubido, Ignacio Carrera, Pablo Torterolo
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) June 29, 2020 preprint DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.25.172304 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Experimental study |
|---|---|
| Population | Rats |
| Intervention | Ibogaine |
| Topics | Ibogaine |
| Keywords | Wakefulness Dream Electrophysiology Electroencephalography |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Ibogaine induces gamma oscillations with larger power but reduced coherence and complexity, showing clear REM sleep traits within the gamma frequency band during wakefulness. |
Abstract
Abstract Ibogaine is a psychedelic alkaloid that has attracted scientific interest because of its important antiaddictive properties evidenced in observational studies in humans, and in models for substance-use-disorders in rodents. Its subjective effect has been described as intense vivid dream-like experiences occurring while awake; hence, ibogaine is often referred to as an oneirogenic psychedelic. While this unique dream-like profile has been hypothesized to aid the antiaddictive effects in the past, the electrophysiological signatures of the ibogaine psychedelic state remain unknown. In our previous work, we showed in rats that ibogaine administration promotes a waking state with abnormal motor behavior, accompanied by a decrease in NREM and REM sleep. Here, we performed an in-depth analysis of the intracranial electroencephalogram during “ibogaine wakefulness”. Ibogaine induced gamma oscillations with larger power than control levels but less coherent and less complex; i.e., this state shows clear REM sleep traits within the gamma frequency band. Thus, our results provide novel biological evidence for the association between the psychedelic state and REM sleep, and an empirical basis for the oneirogenic conjecture of ibogaine.
Comparable studies
Other preclinical and animal studies on ibogaine, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noncompetitive Functional Inhibition at Diverse, Human Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subtypes by Bupropion, Phencyclidine, and Ibogaine TE671/RD cells (human muscle-type nAChR) and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells (human... | 1999 | In vitro study | |
| Degeneration of Purkinje cells in parasagittal zones of the cerebellar vermis after treatment with ibogaine or harmaline. Ibogaine- or harmaline-treated rats | 1993 | Experimental animal study | |
| Effects and aftereffects of ibogaine on morphine self-administration in rats. Rats | 1991 | Preclinical experimental study | |
| Effects of iboga alkaloids on morphine and cocaine self-administration in rats: relationship to tremorigenic effects and to effects on dopamine release in nucleus accumbens and striatum. Rats | 1994 | Experimental study | |
| Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Mediates the Desirable Actions of the Anti-Addiction Drug Ibogaine against Alcohol Consumption Rats | 2005 | Experimental study |
Citations in the library
Cites 37
- The entropic brain: a theory of conscious states informed by neuroimaging research with psychedelic drugs Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2014
- Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by multimodal neuroimaging. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences April 11, 2016
- Neural correlates of the DMT experience assessed with multivariate EEG. Scientific Reports November 19, 2019
- Serotonin transporter-ibogaine complexes illuminate mechanisms of inhibition and transport. Nature May 1, 2019
- Treatment of acute opioid withdrawal with ibogaine. American Journal on Addictions 1999
and 32 more in the library