Ibogaine is an indole alkaloid found in the roots of Tabernanthe Iboga (Apocynaceae family), a rain forest shrub that is native to western Africa. Ibogaine is used by indigenous peoples in low doses to combat fatigue, hunger and thirst, and in higher doses as a sacrament in religious rituals. Members of American and European addict self-help groups have claimed that ibogaine promotes long-term ...

Chronic exposure to opiates eventually leads to drug addiction, which is believed to involve maladaptive changes in brain function, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms remain primarily unknown. Given the known effects of opiates such as morphine and heroin on hippocampal function, we investigated the potential effect of chronic opiate treatment on long-term potentiation (LTP) at CA1 synapses...

Methods Substance-using probationers (N =194) completed baseline and 2-month follow-up interviews. Probationers averaged 35 years-old and were predominately male (69%) and nonwhite (79%). Measures included demographics (e.g., age), treatment/use experience (e.g., ASI drug score), psychosocial functioning (e.g., self-esteem), and criminal justice experience (e.g., lifetime arrests). Hard drug us...

Opiates have been the most widely investigated class of natural products.1 The two most prominent opiates, morphine and codeine, have had a long history of use and abuse. Numerous semisynthetic opiates have been synthesized in an effort to obtain analgesics that are free of tolerance, physical dependence, and addiction liability. The development of totally synthetic analgesics subsequently led ...

The brainstem tegmental pedunculopontine nucleus (TPP) is involved in reward signalling and is functionally and anatomically linked to the VTA. We examined the possible role of the TPP as a reward transmission output for GABAA receptors in the VTA in rats not previously exposed to opiates vs. rats that were chronically exposed to and in withdrawal from opiates or in rats that had recovered from...

AIMS AND METHOD The aim of the study was to elicit clients’ satisfaction with the methadone maintenance service and their views regarding opiate users not in the service. A self-completion questionnaire with 40 questions covering various aspects of service delivery was given to clients on this programme. RESULTS Of a total of 52 questionnaires, 31 (60%) were returned. There was a high level of ...