Acute ibogaine injection induces expression of the immediate early genes, egr-1 and c-fos, in mouse brain

The aim of the present study was to evaluate if an acute injection of iboga ine (IBO) induces immediate early gene expression in different regions of m ouse brain. Adult male C57 mice received a single injection of IBO and were perfused transcardially with 1% paraformaldehyde 30 min after the drug adm inistration. A single injection of IBO produced a significant increase of e gr-1 messenger RNA induction in nucleus accumbens (NAc), caudate-putamen (C Pu), frontal cortex (FCx), septum, dentate gyrus (DG) and CA3 region of hip pocampus, whereas c-fos gene was induced in CPu, FCx, DG, septum and CA1 re gion of hippocampus. This gene expression may be due, in part, to the stimu lant properties of IBO, as we found with other psychostimulants. (C) 1999 E lsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.