Increase in theta-beta ratio seen after treatment, correlating with improved cognitive inhibition<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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THURSDAY, July 31, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Treatment of traumatic brain injury with magnesium-ibogaine reduces spatiotemporal complexity of brain activity and slows cortical oscillations in the brain at rest, according to a study published online July 24 in Nature Mental Health<\/em>.<\/p>\n Jennifer I. Lissemore, Ph.D., from the Stanford University Medical Center in California, and colleagues performed resting-state electroencephalography before, 3.5 days after, and one month after magnesium-ibogaine therapy in an observational, open-label study of 30 combat veterans to examine the effects on human cortical oscillations and complexity.<\/p>\n The researchers found that slower oscillations (theta-alpha) increased in power after treatment, and power at higher-frequencies (beta-gamma) decreased. Accordingly, there was an increase seen in the theta\/beta ratio after treatment, which correlated with improvement in cognition inhibition. After treatment, peak alpha frequency and neural complexity were lower, which persisted at one-month follow-up. Correlations were seen for these neurophysiological markers with improved executive function, posttraumatic stress disorder, and anxiety after ibogaine.<\/p>\n “No other drug has ever been able to alleviate the functional and neuropsychiatric symptoms of traumatic brain injury,” coauthor Nolan Williams, M.D., also from Stanford University, said in a statement. “The results are dramatic, and we intend to study this compound further.”<\/p>\n One author disclosed ties to Alto Neuroscience and Flow Neuroscience; one author is a named inventor on Stanford-owned intellectual property relating to magnesium-ibogaine.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n