Ibogaine may help in alcoholism treatment

A naturally occurring hallucinogen, derived from a West African shrub, has been found to block alcohol craving in rodents.

The alkaloid ibogaine has been championed for years for its ability to reverse withdrawal symptoms and craving for alcohol, but its side effects, including hallucinations, which made it popular in the 1960s drug culture, and evidence of toxicity to certain nerve cells in rodent studies have discouraged studies of its clinical potential. The use of ibogaine is not approved for use in the United States.

In a study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, scientists at University of California at San Francisco showed that in mice and rats ibogaine reduced alcohol consumption by increasing the level of a brain protein known as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, or GDNF.

"By identifying the brain protein that ibogaine regulates to reduce alcohol consumption in rats, we have established a link between GDNF and reversal of addiction -- knowledge of a molecular mechanism that should allow development of a new class of drugs to treat addiction without ibogaine's side effects," said study leader Dorit Ron.

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