Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in military combat veterans is associated not only with cognitive impairments and reduced daily functioning but also with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety. Because regular treatments for these conditions seem to have limited efficacy, some veterans with TBI have started to explore the psychedelic ibogaine as a potential treatment. A paper published in Nature Medicine now reports the outcome of a trial in 30 veterans with TBI who travelled to Mexico (where the drug is unregulated) and were administered ibogaine along with magnesium (to reduce the risk of cardiac side effects). The ibogaine–magnesium treatment substantially reduced symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety and reduced scores on a disability scale compared to baseline measurements, both immediately after treatment and at follow-up 1 month later. No unexpected side-effects or serious adverse events were reported. It is important to note that the study was not a randomized controlled trial, and as such did not include any control groups; undoubtedly, the impressive data from this study will trigger more rigorous trials to assess the efficacy of ibogaine therapy for TBI and psychiatric conditions.

退伍军人的创伤性脑损伤 (TBI) 不仅与认知障碍和日常功能下降有关，还与创伤后应激障碍 (PTSD)、抑郁和焦虑有关。由于对这些疾病的常规治疗似乎效果有限，一些患有 TBI 的退伍军人已经开始探索迷幻的伊博加因作为一种潜在的治疗方法。《自然医学》杂志上发表的一篇论文现在报告了一项针对 30 名患有 TBI 退伍军人的试验结果，这些退伍军人前往墨西哥（该药物不受管制），并服用伊博加因和镁（以降低心脏副作用的风险）。与基线测量相比，伊博加因镁治疗显着减轻了 PTSD、抑郁和焦虑症状，并降低了残疾量表的分数，无论是治疗后立即还是 1 个月后的随访。没有报告意外的副作用或严重不良事件。值得注意的是，该研究不是随机对照试验，因此不包括任何对照组；毫无疑问，这项研究的令人印象深刻的数据将引发更严格的试验，以评估伊博加因治疗 TBI 和精神疾病的疗效。