Neural correlates of ibogaine: Evidence from functional neuroimaging of military veterans
Malvika Sridhar, Azeezat Azeez, Andrew Geoly, Jennifer I. Lissemore, Afik Faerman, Kirsten Cherian, Derrick M. Buchanan, Saron Atnafu Hunegnaw, Jackob N. Keynan, Ian H. Kratter, Cammie Rolle, Manish Saggar, Nolan Williams
Biological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging February 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2026.02.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Male Special Operations Forces veterans with traumatic brain injury |
| Intervention | Ibogaine |
| Duration | 1-month follow-up |
| Topics | Ibogaine |
| Keywords | Functional neuroimaging Neural activity Functional brain imaging Functional connectivity Brain mapping Functional imaging |
| Key findings | Ibogaine treatment was associated with gradual increases in regional cerebral blood flow in cortical, limbic, and striatal subregions and changes in functional connectivity, with blood flow changes in the left insula and left anterior cingulate cortex correlating with improvements in TBI-related disability symptoms. |
Abstract
BackgroundIbogaine was recently found to result in significant functional improvements in treating the sequelae of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among Special Operations Forces veterans (SOVs). In the current study, we used multimodal neuroimaging to elucidate the neural correlates of ibogaine in 30 male SOVs who received ibogaine treatment.MethodsArterial spin labeling and blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected before and immediately after ibogaine treatment and at 1-month follow-up. A whole-brain exploratory analysis was conducted to examine the effects of ibogaine on resting-state regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and functional connectivity.ResultsThe results revealed gradual increases in rCBF in the cortical, limbic, and striatal subregions and changes in functional connectivity across a wide range of functional networks. The magnitude of treatment-induced rCBF changes in the left insula and the left anterior cingulate cortex correlated significantly with improvements in TBI-related disability symptoms.ConclusionsOur results suggest that ibogaine may involve widespread reorganization of functional connections in the brain and that persisting regional changes in metabolic activity after ibogaine treatment, particularly within paralimbic brain regions, may be related to the observed therapeutic effects of ibogaine. Our findings serve to generate future hypotheses for larger, controlled neuroimaging studies of ibogaine in humans-necessary to validate these initial findings.