Ibogaine Blocks Reward Pathways in Alcohol-Dependent Mice

New research has found that ibogaine blocks some of the abuse-related effects of alcohol in mice. Ibogaine is a natural product extracted from the Tabernanthe iboga plant. It is commonly used during religious ceremonies in the form of tea and is extracted from the plant’s root, bark and stem.

Alcohol use disorder is a chronic illness that is characterized by uncontrollable drinking. Symptoms include the repeated consumption of alcohol despite related health and legal problems. This disorder is a leading cause of death and absenteeism globally and is recognized as a global public health issue. However, the current treatments used to manage the disorder aren’t very effective.

Lais F. Berro, author of the study, stated that the lab at Brazil’s Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz had been looking into possible treatments for alcohol abuse. He noted that while naturally hallucinogenic products and psychedelic substances had long been proposed as a treatment for the disorder, it was hard to know if their effects were linked to the environment in which these products were often consumed or if they were pharmacological.

Prior research has shown that ibogaine may reduce the effects of alcohol associated by addiction.

For their study, the researchers examined whether ibogaine would block the alcohol’s reward expression as well as whether the naturally hallucinogenic product induced rewarding effects. The researchers used a rodent model of addiction, which measured the animals’ tendency to spend more time in the chamber where they had been conditioned to expect rewards.

They discovered that alcohol induced a conditioned preference in place in the mice, which called attention to its addictive properties. However, this wasn’t observed in the mice that received ibogaine doses. The researchers also discovered that administering ibogaine treatment after alcohol conditioning blocked the restoration of alcohol-induced preference in place.

These findings offer evidence that psychedelic drugs may be useful in the treatment of alcohol addiction. In an interview, Berro stated that despite increasing evidence of the therapeutic effects of psychedelic substances, there was still a taboo regarding their use in the treatment of various mental conditions.

She noted that despite these substances being classified as Schedule I substances, which alleged that they had a high potential for abuse and no established medical use, evidence had shown that psychedelic drugs could be effective and safe tools for short-term intervention in the treatment of a number of psychiatric disorders, including addiction.

The study’s findings were reported in “Frontiers in Pharmacology.”

As more becomes known about the therapeutic potential of psychedelics, hope is rising in the population that companies such as Cybin Inc. (NYSE American: CYBN) (NEO: CYBN) will commercialize efficacious formulations from these substances and give patients with unmet clinical needs the treatments they have been longing for.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Cybin Inc. (NEO: CYBN) (NYSE American: CYBN) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/CYBN

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