Ibogaine by David Dardashti Explores Groundbreaking Research Linking Genetic Enhancers to Neurological Disease Treatment, Including Parkinson's
Ibogaine by David Dardashti, a leading voice in the exploration of ibogaine's therapeutic potential, is closely analyzing a new study published in EMBO Reports that sheds light on the intricate genetic mechanisms underlying neurological disorders, including Parkinson's disease. This research, spearheaded by Associate Professor Masahito Yoshihara and colleagues, provides compelling evidence that could significantly impact the understanding and application of ibogaine treatment.
The study utilized advanced genomic techniques, including CAGE, NET-CAGE, and Capture Hi-C/HiCap, to identify and characterize thousands of enhancers – non-coding DNA regions that play a crucial role in gene regulation – active during neuronal differentiation. Crucially, the researchers discovered a significant enrichment of genetic variants (SNPs) associated with Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia within these enhancers. This finding suggests that these enhancers, and the genes they regulate, are directly implicated in the development and progression of these conditions.
David Dardashti, a prominent advocate for ibogaine research, recognizes the profound implications of this study for the field of ibogaine therapy. "This research provides a critical piece of the puzzle in understanding how ibogaine may exert its remarkable effects," Dardashti explains. "By demonstrating the direct involvement of specific genetic enhancers in neurological disorders, it opens up exciting new avenues for exploring ibogaine's mechanism of action at a molecular level."
Ibogaine has shown promise in anecdotal reports and preliminary studies for its ability to alleviate symptoms of neurological conditions, including addiction, and potentially Parkinson's. Its purported anti-aging and restorative properties have also garnered significant interest. While the exact mechanisms remain under investigation, one hypothesis centers on ibogaine's potential to influence gene expression, possibly through interactions with these very enhancers identified in the EMBO Reports study.
The study's focus on LUHMES cells, a model for human dopaminergic neurons (the cells primarily affected in Parkinson's disease), is particularly relevant. By linking specific enhancers to genes involved in neuronal differentiation and disorders, the research provides a potential roadmap for understanding how ibogaine might influence these crucial cellular processes.
Dardashti is particularly intrigued by the potential connection between the identified genetic enhancers and the "genetic rejuvenating factors" hypothesized to be influenced by ibogaine. "If ibogaine can modulate the activity of these enhancers, which are clearly linked to neurological health and disease, it could explain its reported ability to promote neuroplasticity, reduce neuroinflammation, and potentially even reverse some of the cellular damage associated with conditions like Parkinson's," he notes.
The research highlights the "vast regulatory potential embedded in non-coding regions" of the genome. This aligns with the emerging understanding of ibogaine's potential to induce broad-spectrum changes in gene expression, leading to long-lasting therapeutic effects.
Ibogaine by David Dardashti is committed to rigorously examining the findings of this and other related studies. This deeper dive will help determine, specifically the implications for ibogaine treatment protocols and future research directions. The goal is to move beyond anecdotal evidence and establish a solid scientific foundation for ibogaine's use in treating neurological disorders, including the potential for mitigating the progression of Parkinson's disease.
About Ibogaine by David Dardashti:
Ibogaine by David Dardashti is dedicated to exploring the therapeutic potential of ibogaine and promoting responsible research into its applications for addiction, neurological disorders, and overall well-being.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
5 days ago
- Cision Canada
Congruence Therapeutics Announces Oral Presentation on Novel GCase Activators and Correctors for Parkinson's Disease with GBA1 Mutations at the GBA1 Meeting 2025
- , June 3, 2025 /CNW/ -- Congruence Therapeutics, a computationally-driven biotechnology company building a unique pipeline of correctors for diseases of protein misfolding, including MC4R-deficient genetic obesity, GBA-driven Parkinson's disease and Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, announced today its participation at the GBA1 Meeting 2025, being held June 5-7, 2025 in Montreal, Canada. Congruence is also a sponsor of the meeting. "We are pleased to present our science on novel GCase activators and correctors for GBA1 Parkinson's Disease at this important scientific congress," said Sharath Hegde, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Congruence. "We are developing small molecules discovered leveraging our Revenir ™ platform that are designed to correct biological deficits resulting from mutations in the GBA1 gene. We look forward to advancing the most potent orally active and brain-penetrant allosteric GCase activator and corrector molecules for future evaluation in people living with Parkinson's disease." Oral presentation details: Title:" Discovery of Small Molecule Therapeutics for GBA1-PD" Session: 2- Small Molecules Targeting GBA1 Session Date and Time: Thursday, June 5 th, 2025, 11:40am-12:00pm Presenting Author: Indranath Ghosh, PhD, Director, Medicinal Chemistry, Congruence Therapeutics About Congruence Therapeutics Congruence is a computationally-driven biotechnology company building a unique pipeline of transformative small molecule correctors rationally designed to rescue aberrant protein function. Our proprietary scalable platform, Revenir™, captures the biophysical features of proteins across their conformational ensembles, in order to identify novel allosteric and cryptic pockets which are virtually screened to generate novel chemical matter. Congruence has leveraged its proprietary discovery engine to launch a pipeline of wholly owned drugs directed to high-value, genetically validated, difficult-to-drug targets spanning a variety of indications including genetic obesity, GBA Parkinson's Disease, and α1-Antitrypsin Deficiency. Congruence is further deploying its discovery platform to support two recently executed multi-target research collaborations with large pharmaceutical companies focused on the discovery of small molecule correctors for the treatment of solid tumors and metabolic diseases. For more information, please visit Media Contact Amy Conrad Juniper Point [email protected] 858-366-3243 SOURCE Congruence Therapeutics
Winnipeg Free Press
21-05-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Emotional well-being. Fall prevention. Chair yoga has a lot to offer people of all ages
NEW YORK (AP) — Marian Rivman is pushing 80. Harriet Luria is a proud 83. In this trio, Carol Leister is the baby at 62. Together, they have decades of experience with yoga. Only now, it involves a chair. Chair yoga adapts traditional yoga poses for older people and others with physical challenges, but the three devotees said after a recent class that doesn't mean it's not a quality workout. As older adults have become more active, chair yoga has grown in popularity. 'You're stretching your whole body,' Rivman offered. 'What you can do in the chair is a little bit more forgiving on the knees and on the hips. So as you age, it allows you to get into positions that you were doing before without hurting yourself.' Sitting down to exercise, or standing while holding onto a chair to perform some poses, may not sound like a workout, but Rivman, Luria, Leister and practitioners everywhere see a world of benefits. 'I took it up because I have osteoporosis and the chair yoga is much easier,' Luria said. 'You don't have to worry as much about falling and breaking anything. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be, but it's not easy. And you really do use your muscles. It's an excellent workout.' Yoga with a chair isn't just for older people Chair yoga is clearly marketed to older women, who made up the class where the three yoga friends got together at the Marlene Meyerson JCC on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. But the practice also has a lot to offer others, said their instructor, Whitney Chapman. Desk workers can squeeze in 15 minutes of chair yoga, for instance. Many companies offer it as a way to cut down on stress and improve overall health. And people recovering from surgery or injuries may not be ready to get down on a yoga mat, but they can stretch in a chair. 'I've known these ladies probably 18 to 20 years. And the very first time in a yoga class that I brought in the chair, all of my students said I don't want geriatric yoga. I'm not an old person,' Chapman said. 'And then they saw that having a chair is just as good as a yoga strap, a yoga block. It's another prop that's going to help you do what you want to do. So it's not necessarily because you're older, but that it can be helpful. And it doesn't mean you're geriatric just because you're sitting in a chair.' The benefits are many, Chapman said: improved flexibility, strength, balance. And there's the overall emotional well-being that yoga practitioners in general report. It's particularly useful for people with mobility issues or chronic ailments like arthritis or back pain. Chapman also teaches yoga to cancer and Parkinson's disease patients. In addition to restorative and other benefits, the practice of chair yoga can help improve posture for people of all ages and abilities, and help older people prevent falls. A physical practice that can last a lifetime Leister recently retired. 'I've been looking for all different kinds of exercises to do and this is one of them,' she said. 'This is the one that I could see doing for the rest of my life, where some that are a little more strenuous I may not be able to do in the future.' Traditional yoga originated more than 5,000 years ago in India. Many of the poses used today are also that old. It can be as much spiritual as physical, and that also goes for its chair descendant. The precise movements are tied to deliberate, cleansing breathwork. Rivman has been doing yoga for about 50 years. 'Once you start and you get what it does for your body, you don't want to give it up. And if there's a way that you can keep doing it and keep doing it safely, that's a choice you're going to make,' she said. Yoga by the numbers, including chair yoga The practice of yoga, including chair yoga, has been on the rise in the U.S. over the last 20 years. In 2022, the percentage of adults age 18 and older who practiced yoga in the past 12 months was 16.9%, with percentages highest among women ages 18–44, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Women are more than twice as likely as men to practice yoga, the data showed. The percentage of adults who practiced yoga to treat or manage pain decreased with increasing family income. The CDC, didn't break out chair yoga for analysis but recommends that adults 65 and older focus on activities that improve balance and strength. That, the health agency said, can be achieved through various exercises, including chair yoga. Why don't more men do yoga? Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. Chapman and her students have thoughts on why more men don't practice yoga. Traditionally, Chapman said, the practice was reserved for men, but as yoga became more westernized, women took over. 'Women tend to be more group-oriented. I would love to see more men in class. I do have a few. I don't know if they're intimidated, but you know, it's a great way to meet women if everybody's single,' Chapman said with a chuckle. Luria theorizes that fewer men are drawn to yoga because it's not a competitive sport. 'You're really working at your own level,' she said. 'Take out the competition and it's not their thing.' These chair yoga practitioners have lots of advice. Rivman summed it up best: 'Get into a chair and do some yoga. You don't have to stand on your head, but you have to move. You're never too old to start.'
Global News
13-05-2025
- Global News
Parkinson's risk higher for those living close to a golf course: study
Living near a golf course might come with an unexpected health concern: a higher risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a recent study. The study, published May 8 in JAMA Network Open, found a potential link between living near golf courses, where pesticides are commonly used, and higher rates of the neurodegenerative condition. It found people living within one mile (1.6 kilometre) of a golf course have a 126 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease compared to living more than six miles (9.6 kilometres) away, said co-author Dr. Ray Dorsey, a neurologist and the director of the Center for the Brain and the Environment at Atria Health and Research Institute in New York. 'This isn't the first study that links Parkinson's disease with pesticides. This just adds additional evidence that this isn't just happening among farmers. This is happening to people living in suburban areas that have an increased risk of getting Parkinson's disease simply because of where they live,' he said. Story continues below advertisement 'But they're not the ones to bring the pesticides, it's like secondhand smoke. They're just likely breathing it in or consuming it in the water that they're drinking.' 3:58 GNM – New drug molecule research could help treat Parkinson's disease There's been so much extensive research connecting pesticides to Parkinson's disease that Dorsey said that in his view, it's no longer just a possible link — it's one of the causes. It's important to note that this study was based in the United States, where some pesticides used on golf courses, like paraquat (a herbicide) and maneb (a fungicide), have been linked to a higher risk of Parkinson's disease. However, these specific pesticides have been banned in Canada. While the study mentions paraquat and maneb, it doesn't list all the pesticides used. Other pesticides are still allowed in Canada. Story continues below advertisement Parkinson's link to pesticides Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects movement, often causing tremors, stiffness and difficulty with balance and coordination. According to Parkinson Canada, more than 110,000 people in Canada are currently living with the disease; a number expected to rise in the coming years as the population ages. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy There is currently no cure for Parkinson's disease and no treatments available that can slow its progression. Although it is still not fully understood what causes the disease, research suggests it's the result of a potential combination of genetic and environmental factors, said Dr. Karen Lee, the CEO of Parkinson's Canada. 'It's probably a perfect storm. Meaning, you have genes that prime you to potentially get Parkinson's, and if you're put in the right environment, potentially that is what sets off the onset of Parkinson's disease,' she told Global News. Story continues below advertisement 2:12 'Just to see the top was amazing:' Peterborough man climbs Mount Kilimanjaro for Parkinson's disease research For years pesticides have been in the spotlight as a potential environmental trigger. While farming communities and agricultural workers have been studied extensively, much less is known about the potential risks posed by more urban or suburban sources of pesticide exposure — like golf courses, the study argues. Golf courses are often treated with pesticides to maintain the aesthetic standards for putting greens and fairways, and these chemicals have been linked to the development of Parkinson's disease. To explore this possible link, researchers from the Mayo Clinic conducted a population-based study using data from the Rochester Epidemiology Project between 1991 and 2015. Data were analyzed between June and August 2024. They looked at medical records and environmental data for 419 people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and more than 5,000 people living without the condition. The researchers then viewed residential histories and their distance to 139 golf courses in southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Story continues below advertisement What the study found People who lived within a one to three-mile radius of a golf course showed the highest risk of developing the disease. Specifically, those residing within one mile had 126 per cent increased odds compared to those living over six miles away. This risk generally decreased as the distance from the golf course increased, the study said. Proximity was not the only factor linked to elevated risk. The study also found that the type of drinking water mattered. People who got their tap water from groundwater sources in areas with a golf course had almost double the odds of developing Parkinson's disease compared to those in similar areas without a golf course, the research found. The risk was even higher for people living in regions where the groundwater was classified as vulnerable, meaning it was more susceptible to contamination due to soil type or shallow bedrock. Story continues below advertisement The researchers believe this is because pesticides from golf courses may enter groundwater and contaminate municipal water supplies. 5:30 Efforts to combat Parkinson's disease Although water seemed to be a key factor, the study found that people living within one to two miles of a golf course still had a higher risk, even after considering water vulnerability. This suggests that pesticides drifting through the air might also play a role in the increased risk, the researchers argued. Lee said the findings didn't come as a surprise and viewed them as one more piece of a larger puzzle. She emphasized that the more researchers understand, the better they can tailor treatments — and eventually work toward prevention. 'We have already shown that there's a higher risk of getting Parkinson's due to these pesticides,' she said. 'But it is really important to remember that there isn't one thing that causes Parkinson's right now. We haven't said 'this is it,'' she said. Story continues below advertisement Dr. Michael Okun, the national medical advisor at the Parkinson's Foundation, agreed. He said the study is intriguing but not surprising, as golf courses use various pesticides and herbicides to maintain their greens. 'Living close to a golf course and sharing water services nearly doubles the odds of developing PD (Parkinson's disease). This is strongly suggestive that environmental exposure to chemicals used in golf course maintenance could be a contributing factor,' he said. Not just Parkinson's disease Meanwhile, other studies have linked golf courses to neurological disease. Research published in The Journal of Neurological Sciences in 2024 found that outdoor recreational activities, such as golfing and gardening, may increase the likelihood of developing amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), especially in men. Pesticides are neurotoxic, Dorsey said, so it's not surprising that exposure to some of them has been linked to other neurological disorders in humans. Story continues below advertisement 'We think Parkinson's disease is largely a man-made disease. The chemicals in our food, water, and air are fueling the rise of a fast-growing brain disease,' he said. He and the researchers hope the study will raise awareness about the potential risks of pesticide use on golf courses and encourage public health policies to reduce groundwater contamination and airborne exposure. In the meantime, Okun said that while the study highlights a potential link, there is still no cause-and-effect relationship. 'Therefore, it's premature to make broad recommendations solely based on this finding. However, it does underscore the importance of evaluating and potentially regulating the use of certain chemicals in residential and recreational areas.'
