EFFECT OF IBOGAINE ON ALCOHOL ADDICTION-INDUCED SOCIAL DEFICIT IN RATS

Chronic alcohol use disorder is associated not only with compulsive drinking but also with profound impairments in social behavior, which contribute to relapse vulnerability and poor recovery outcomes. In rodents, alcohol exposure shifts reward preference from social interaction to consumption, offering a translational model for studying addiction-related social deficits. Psychedelics, notably ibogaine, have shown potential in enhancing social behavior via oxytocin (OT) system modulation. Ibogaine produces long-lasting restoration of social reward learning, surpassing effects of psilocybin, LSD, ketamine, or MDMA. Moreover, a single dose of ibogaine alters transcription of OT-related genes. Here, we examined social behavior in healthy vs. alcohol-addicted rats and whether ibogaine reverses alcohol addiction-induced social deficits. Social interaction was measured via sniffing duration of an unknown conspecific in 3-chamber sociability test, with locomotion controlled for general motor effects. Healthy rats showed strong sociability, while alcohol-addicted rats exhibited significantly reduced social sniffing, without any correlation to locomotion. Ibogaine rescued this deficit by increased duration of sniffing in alcohol addicted group. Alcohol-addicted rats displayed hyperlocomotion, aligning with a hyperdopaminergic abstinence state, confirming a robust addiction phenotype. Future experiment will explore the molecular mechanism of the observed behavioral effects.