Ibogaine (40 mg/kg i.p.), when given 2 hours before an acute injection of cocaine (25 mg/kg s.c.) to C57BL/6 mice, reduced the cocaine-induced locomotor stimulation. Such stimulation was also reduced in the ibogaine-treated mice when a second injection of cocaine was given 24 hr later. Thus, the reduction in locomotor activity was not just the short-term depression of locomotor activity seen...
Ibogaine, a naturally occurring alkaloid, has been claimed to be effective in treating addition to opiate and stimulant drugs. As a preclinical test of this claim, the present study sought to determine if ibogaine would reduce the intravenous self-administration of morphine in rats. Ibogaine dose dependently (2.5-80 mg/kg) decreased morphine intake in the hour after ibogaine treatment (acute...
We report two cases whose psychiatric dysfunction failed to respond to pharmaco-therapy, but which dramatically 'melted' with the practice of transcendental meditation (TM). Case 1: R., a 55 year old businessman, was diagnosed as Panic Disorder (severe) with Agoraphobia (mild) (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Over 3 years of illness, he had received alprazolam (2 mg/day), lorazepam (6...
The present study examined the behavioural effects of sigma agonists and PCP-like non-competitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonists in guinea-pigs. Subcutaneous (SC) injection of the putative sigma agonist (+)NANM (1 and 10 mg/kg SC) and (-)NANM (1 and 10 mg/kg SC) produced a behavioural response in guinea-pigs which was characterized by sedation and exophthalmos, with locomotor...
Hallucinations can persist for many years after childhood sexual abuse. If we recognise this, we will not mis-diagnose psychosis and we may treat with psychotherapy (talk). The hallucinations are distinct from hallucinations in schizophrenia though patients have frequently been given that diagnosis. They would generally be classified as pseudo-hallucinations. They are generally...
Four cyclic analogues of the psychoactive phenethylamine derivative 3,4-(methylenedioxy)amphetamine were studied. These congeners, 5,6- and 4,5-(methylenedioxy)-2-aminoindan (3a and 4a, respectively), and 6,7- and 5,6-(methylenedioxy)-2-aminotetralin (3b and 4b, respectively) were tested for stimulus generalization in the two-lever drug-discrimination paradigm. Two groups of rats were trained...
"Qi Gong" (QG) is a meditation exercise known for thousands of years in China and has always been widely practiced. It has been claimed to have a variety of healing and other health benefits. To provide an understanding of the effect of QG on brain structures along the whole neural axis from the periphery to the cerebral cortex, we have monitored short-latency auditory brainstem evoked...
Cross-reactivity of amphetamine analogues with the Abuscreen amphetamine radioimmunoassay reagents was determined for both the standard and high specificity antibody systems. Compounds tested included 2-methoxyamphetamine, 4-hydroxymethamphetamine, 2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine (DMA), 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine (DOB), 4-bromo-2,5-dimethoxy-beta-phenethylamine (BDMPEA),...
Abstract: The activity of tryptophan hydroxylase (EC 1.14.16.4) from rat brain was significantly decreased 1 h following a single systemic injection of 3,4‐methylenedioxy‐methamphetamine (MDMA) when assessed ex vivo by ra‐dioenzymatic assay or in vivo by the quantitation of 5‐hy‐droxytryptophan accumulation following central L‐aromatic amino acid decarboxylase inhibition. Recovery of enzymatic...
Though near-death studies have yielded few practical applica tions, some psychotherapists have used insights from near-death experiences (NDEs) to treat a variety of problems.Using hypnosis, relaxation methods, or electric shock to initiate a conversation with a purported spirit "possessing" the patient, the therapist persuades the spirit to join others in a land of ethereal beauty and light...