Barrow Neurological Institutes Receives Funding to Study Ibogaine for Brain Injuries
Researchers to Explore Psychoactive Compound's Ability to Treat Traumatic Brain Injury Symptoms
State funding will enable Barrow Neurological Institute to study whether ibogaine — a psychoactive compound derived from a shrub native to Africa — can effectively treat depression and other symptoms stemming from traumatic brain injuries.
Because ibogaine is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for any clinical use, many Americans—particularly military veterans—have been traveling to unregulated clinics abroad to try ibogaine therapy for traumatic brain injury and mental health conditions.
Ibogaine is listed as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the U.S. However, some Americans — particularly military veterans — have traveled abroad to access ibogaine therapy. Several veterans who reported positive outcomes from the treatment were notable proponents of Arizona allocating funding for research of the drug. In 2025, Governor Katie Hobbs and state lawmakers allocated $5 million from the state budget to conduct the research
The Arizona Department of Health Services awarded the funding to Barrow, which will partner with Arizona State University to conduct the study. The trial will involve 40 participants who experience chronic symptoms from prior traumatic brain injuries. Researchers will explore whether the drug makes any significant positive impact on the participants' symptoms or daily lives.
The clinical trial will be led by a team of experts in neurology, neurosurgery, and neuropsychiatry at Barrow, in collaboration with the Barrow Neuro Analytics Center and researchers from Arizona State University. The Barrow Neuro Analytics Center is the Institute’s new research facility located in the Phoenix Medical Quarter.
Susan Criswell, the chief medical officer for clinical research at Barrow, shared hope for the study: “Roughly one-half of individuals with traumatic brain injuries experience incomplete recovery or lingering symptoms after six months. Therefore, we are excited to begin investigating ibogaine as a potential new therapy for individuals in our community and across Arizona who are suffering from the long-term effects of neurologic injury.”
Source: KJZZ News and Barrow Neurological Institute
