Ibogaine neurotoxicity: a re-evaluation. Molinari, H.H., Maisonneuve, I.M. and Glick, S.D. Brain Res 737:255-262, 1996.
Abstract: Ibogaine
is claimed to be an effective treatment for opiate and stimulant
addiction. O'Hearn and Molliver, however, showed that ibogaine
causes degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells in rats. The
present study re-examined cerebellar responses to the high doses
of ibogaine used by O'Hearn and Molliver (100 mg/kg or 3 x 100
mg/kg) and sought to determine when a lower dose (40 mg/kg), one
effective in reducing morphine and cocaine self-administration
produced similar responses. Purkinje cell degeneration was evaluated
with a Fink-Heimer II stain, and enhanced glial cell activity
with an antibody to glial fibrillary acidic protein. Every rat
treated with a high dose of ibogaine displayed clear evidence
of Purkinje cell degeneration. The degeneration consistently occurred
in the intermediate and lateral cerebellum, as well as the vermis.
Purkinje cells in lobes 5 and 6 were particularly susceptible.
Given the response properties of cells in these lobules, this
finding suggests long-term motor deficits produced by ibogaine-induced
degeneration should preferentially affect the head and upper extremity.
In marked contract, rats given the smaller dose of ibogaine displayed
no degeneration above the level seen in saline-treated animals.
When combined with information on other compounds, these data
suggest that the degenerative and anti-addictive properties of
ibogaine reflect different actions of the drug.
© 1997The Ibogaine Dossier