HoldsUp

Nolan Williams

Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab

Nolan Williams is a neuropsychiatrist and the Director of the Stanford Brain Stimulation Lab. His published research focuses on neuromodulation interventions, including transcranial magnetic stimulation, deep brain stimulation, and Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT) for disorders such as treatment-resistant depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Additionally, he studies the neural correlates and therapeutic outcomes of magnesium-ibogaine treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.

32 claims checked on air: 2 context 3 overstated 23 supported 4 unverified

What they said on air - citing their own research

5 citing their own research

0:11:18supportedlowtheir own paperOne Dose That Heals Addiction, PTSD, and Brain Injury | The

In a clinical trial published in Nature Mental Health, ibogaine administration produced a general slowing of EEG power spectra that correlated with the strength of the subjective psychedelic experience, PTSD symptom reduction, and cognitive improvement.

"The the the next piece of data that we have, we published in Nature Mental Health, I don't know, a week ago or something, which is a really interesting study where people with that in our trial that received ibogaine had had EEG, like brainwave tests, before, after, and one month after they received ibogaine. And what we saw is this kind of general slowing of all of the the kind of different power spectra of the the EEG, right? So people had a general kind of physiologic slowing of their brain after, and the slowing actually was correlated with the the strength of the trip, like the amount that they had a psychological effect... But also, interestingly, the reduction in PTSD symptoms and the improvement in cognition." (said at 0:11:18)

Evidence from an open-label study evaluating a magnesium-ibogaine protocol in 30 Special Operations Forces veterans with traumatic brain injury found that ibogaine administration was associated with post-treatment EEG slowing (including persistent reductions in peak alpha frequency) that correlated with the intensity of subjective mystical experiences and reductions in PTSD symptoms. The parent trial demonstrated marked improvements in PTSD, depression, anxiety, and functioning. However, evidence is limited by the open-label, uncontrolled study design and small sample size.

0:35:45supportedvery lowtheir own paperOne Dose That Heals Addiction, PTSD, and Brain Injury | The

An analysis using an AI-based MRI brain age pipeline showed that patients treated with ibogaine had brains that appeared an average of 1.5 years younger at one month post-treatment.

"And what this what this is showing is um, as a group average, people have about a year and a half younger-looking brain at one month." (said at 0:35:45)

A prospective observational study evaluated structural MRI changes in Special Operations Forces veterans with blast-induced traumatic brain injury undergoing a magnesium-ibogaine protocol. Using T1-weighted MRI scans to estimate predicted brain age, researchers found a statistically significant reduction in predicted brain age of 1.3 years at 1-month post-treatment compared to baseline (n = 22). While this matches the speaker's statement of "about a year and a half younger-looking brain," the evidence comes from a small, open-label, uncontrolled cohort study.

0:38:34supportedlowtheir own paperOne Dose That Heals Addiction, PTSD, and Brain Injury | The

In EEG research on ibogaine, the magnitude of the subjective psychological experience correlated with the degree of PTSD symptom improvement.

"What we found with the EEG stuff that I published a week ago is the degree of that subjective effect is correlated with the degree of the of the PTSD improvement." (said at 0:38:34)

A published open-label study evaluating magnesium-ibogaine therapy in 30 male veterans with traumatic brain injury examined subjective experience using the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ30), electroencephalography (EEG) measures, and PTSD symptom severity. The study found that greater intensity of the subjective mystical experience during ibogaine treatment significantly correlated with larger reductions in PTSD symptom severity both immediately (p < 0.001) and one month post-treatment (p = 0.007), as well as with persistent reductions in EEG peak alpha frequency.

0:47:21supportedlowtheir own paperOne Dose That Heals Addiction, PTSD, and Brain Injury | The

Ibogaine treatment has produced 20- to 30-point improvements on the 60-point Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS).

"Yeah. I mean, we're seeing, you know, in some cases a 20- or 30-point change on a 60-point scale, where that scale as a generality people don't really score above mid-30s on on the on the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale." (said at 0:47:21)

A prospective open-label observational study of magnesium-ibogaine therapy in 30 Special Operations Forces veterans with mild traumatic brain injuries evaluated depressive symptoms using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). The study reported large and statistically significant improvements in depression at one month post-treatment (Cohen's d = 2.80), with individual and mean reductions in MADRS scores aligning with the 20- to 30-point drop described. Because the published evidence comes from an uncontrolled, open-label trial, certainty is graded as low, and randomized controlled trials are required to confirm efficacy.

0:56:58supportedlowtheir own paperOne Dose That Heals Addiction, PTSD, and Brain Injury | The

Veterans treated with ibogaine exhibited a statistically significant improvement in measures of cognition, specifically in frontal executive control.

"So, what we observed in the veterans was that they had an improvement in cog-- statistically significant improvement in some aspects of cognition, particularly around frontal control." (said at 0:56:58)

Published observational studies investigating ibogaine (including the Stanford MISTIC protocol of magnesium-ibogaine and clinic programs in Special Operations Forces veterans with traumatic brain injuries) reported statistically significant improvements in functional disability, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive measures from baseline to follow-up. However, the available evidence is from open-label, uncontrolled observational cohorts and retrospective surveys, warranting cautious interpretation until validated in randomized, placebo-controlled trials.

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