Teachable moment in classrooms:

  1. nervous system chapter – grey and white matter structures of the brain
  2. nervous system chapter – neurons communicate with each other using synapses
  3. nervous system chapter – neurons communicate through neurotransmitters such as serotonin

The news item:  Recently the following report appeared online:

What to know about ibogaine as Texas lawmakers eye clinical trial

Texas lawmakers are eyeing clinical trial for ibogaine as President Trump signed an executive order to speed up research into psychedelic drugs for veterans.

The article states that a chemical called ibogaine is derived from an African shrub, and that ibogaine can reduce depression, PTSD, anxiety and improves functionality in people with traumatic brain injury.

So, Why Do I Care??  Depression, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and traumatic brain injury lower the quality of life for tens of millions of people. The affected people are unable to perform at work, to maintain personal relationships, and function in society. Despite the availability of several medications for those conditions, many people find no relief from the available treatment options. Ibogaine offers a possible remedy for those people.

Plain English, Please!!! First, let’s talk about where ibogaine interacts with the body. The ibogaine molecule is a small organic molecule derived from an African shrub, Tabernanthe iboga. Ibogaine and its metabolite, noribogaine, bind strongest to specific anatomical areas of the brain, such as the cortex, and the hippocampus, among others. These structures are all made up by grey matter, meaning they are dominated by dense networks of neuronal bodies and synapses.

Second, let’s talk about the molecular targets of ibogaine. Within the anatomical regions mentioned above, ibogaine binds to several molecules on the surface of the neurons, the wide range of molecular interactions explain the wide-ranging effects on the nervous system. Binding sites include: the  NMDA receptor which is a ligand-gated Ca and K ion channel that slows the activity of a neuron, opioid receptor that send signals to the inside of the neurons to slow their activity, and serotonin transporter which is an active pump to remove serotonin from the synaptic cleft.

Third, let’s talk about how ibogaine might lessen the disease symptoms. The improvement in the symptoms of anxiety might be coming from ibogaine activating opioid receptors, and causing an overall slowing of the activity of overexcited neurons.  The improvements in PTSD, and depression might be coming from ibogaine blocking to NMDA receptor and the serotonin transporter causing an overall speeding up of activity of sluggish neurons. The improvements in the traumatic brain injury may come from ibogaine activating opioid receptors that can send signals to the inside of neurons to make more nerve growth factor, and other proteins that stimulate tissue repair in the brain. The combined effect of ibogaine on different people can be very wide ranging. It’s like how a TikTok video about dogs can affect different people. As the different inner sensitivities get combined into diverse reactions, one viewer may be totally bored by the video, another one might be super excited and the third might be offended. The same is true for ibogaine, and more research is needed to identify individuals who can benefit from the treatment.