Effects of low dose ibogaine on subjective mood state and psychological performance
This open-label study investigated the effects of low-dose ibogaine 20mg on subjective mood states and a range of cognitive functions. There was no effect on subjective mood states or cognitive performance related to basic visuomotor function, inhibitory function, memory function, task switching, or selective attention. Future studies would require a wider dose range, placebo-controls, and larger sample sizes to determine whether ibogaine affects these faculties.
Authors
- Paul Glue
Published
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Root bark from Tabernanthe iboga has been used traditionally in West Africa as a psychoactive substance in religious rituals. In smaller doses, it is reported anecdotally to have stimulant properties.Aim of the study: To evaluate the influence of a single 20 mg ibogaine dose on psychological variables reflecting subjective mood state and a range of cognitive functions.Materials and methods: 21 healthy male volunteers received single 20 mg doses of ibogaine after 6 days pretreatment with double-blind paroxetine or placebo. We compared responses to a battery of psychometric tests and subjective mood ratings performed before and 2 h after ibogaine dosing, and assessed relationships between changes in test scores and concentrations of active moiety (the sum of molar noribogaine and ibogaine concentrations). Psychological tests were chosen based on responsiveness to opioid and serotonergic ligands.
Results
Ibogaine had minimal influence on psychological tests and mood ratings. The ability to selectively ignore distracting spatial information showed some evidence of modulation; however because this effect was limited to the less challenging condition calls into question the reliability of this result.
Conclusion
We were unable to identify stimulant effects after single 20 mg doses of ibogaine. Future research is needed to confirm whether active moiety concentrations impact selective attention abilities while leaving other cognitive functions and mood state unaffected.
Research Summary of 'Effects of low dose ibogaine on subjective mood state and psychological performance'
Introduction
Forsyth and colleagues place ibogaine in its ethnobotanical and pharmacological context, noting it is an indole alkaloid from Tabernanthe iboga root bark used sacramentally in West African traditions. Earlier reports describe dose-dependent effects ranging from stimulant-like vigilance enhancement at low doses to hallucinogenic effects at much higher doses, and there are anecdotal and case-series reports of ibogaine ameliorating opioid withdrawal. Despite extensive descriptive work on high-dose effects, the authors identify a clear gap: there are very few controlled data on psychological responses to low doses of ibogaine, which are of clinical interest because of recent cardiac safety findings and because low-dose use is reported anecdotally to be stimulant-like. This substudy therefore aimed to evaluate whether single low doses of ibogaine influence subjective mood state and a range of cognitive functions, and specifically to examine the relationship between combined blood concentrations of ibogaine plus its active metabolite noribogaine (termed AM, the active moiety) and changes in psychometric test scores. The investigation builds on prior pharmacokinetic work by the group that demonstrated paroxetine-mediated inhibition of CYP2D6 raises AM exposure after a 20 mg ibogaine dose; here the investigators report the psychological data collected around that pharmacokinetic study.
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Study Details
- Study Typeindividual
- Journal
- Compound
- Topic
- Author
- APA Citation
Forsyth, B., Machado, L., Jowett, T., Jakobi, H., Garbe, K., Winter, H., & Glue, P. (2016). Effects of low dose ibogaine on subjective mood state and psychological performance. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 189, 10-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2016.05.022
References (4)
Papers cited by this study that are also in Blossom
Alper, K. R., Lotsof, H. S., Kaplan, C. D. · Journal of Ethnopharmacology (2007)
Antonio, T., Childers, S. R., Rothman, R. B. et al. · PLOS ONE (2013)
Glue, P., Cape, G., Tunnicliff, D. et al. · Clinical Pharmacology in Drug Development (2016)
Glue, P., Lenagh-Glue, Z., Winter, H. et al. · Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (2015)
Cited By (5)
Papers in Blossom that reference this study
Köck, P., Frölich, K., Walter, M. et al. · Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment (2022)
Polito, V., Liknaitzky, P. · Psyarxiv (2021)
Wasko, M. J., Witt-Enderby, P. A., Surratt, C. K. · ACS Chemical Neuroscience (2018)
Barsuglia, J. P., Polanco, M., Palmer, R. et al. · Progress in Brain Research (2018)
Dos Santos, R. G., Bouso, J. C., Hallak, J. E. · Journal of Psychedelic Studies (2016)
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