Gamma band alterations and REM-like traits underpin the acute effect of the atypical psychedelic ibogaine

Ibogaine, a psychedelic alkaloid with anti-addictive properties, produces a waking state that shares brain-wave traits with REM sleep. In rats, ibogaine increased gamma oscillation power in the brain but made those oscillations less coherent and less complex than normal waking levels. This pattern mirrors REM sleep features within the gamma frequency band, providing biological evidence for the long-standing hypothesis that ibogaine induces a dream-like state while awake—a phenomenon called oneirogenesis. The findings offer an empirical basis for understanding how ibogaine's unique subjective effects may contribute to its anti-addictive potential.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract Ibogaine is a psychedelic alkaloid that has attracted scientific interest because of its important antiaddictive properties evidenced in observational studies in humans, and in models for substance-use-disorders in rodents. Its subjective effect has been described as intense vivid dream-like experiences occurring while awake; hence, ibogaine is often referred to as an oneirogenic psychedelic. While this unique dream-like profile has been hypothesized to aid the antiaddictive effects in the past, the electrophysiological signatures of the ibogaine psychedelic state remain unknown. In our previous work, we showed in rats that ibogaine administration promotes a waking state with abnormal motor behavior, accompanied by a decrease in NREM and REM sleep. Here, we performed an in-depth analysis of the intracranial electroencephalogram during “ibogaine wakefulness”. Ibogaine induced gamma oscillations with larger power than control levels but less coherent and less complex; i.e., this state shows clear REM sleep traits within the gamma frequency band. Thus, our results provide novel biological evidence for the association between the psychedelic state and REM sleep, and an empirical basis for the oneirogenic conjecture of ibogaine.