Derrick Buchanan

All Publications

• Accelerated recovery using magnesium ibogaine: characterizing the subjective experience of its rapid healing from neuropsychiatric disorders. Npj mental health research Olash, C., Buchanan, D. M., Brown, R., Faerman, A., Cherian, K., Lin, G., Spiegel, D., Gross, J. J., Williams, N. 2026; 5 (1): 8

  Abstract

  Magnesium-ibogaine, a formulation combining ibogaine with pre- and post-treatment magnesium, was recently found to yield rapid clinical improvements in U.S. Special Operations veterans with TBI and PTSD. Yet, its therapeutic phenomenology during such healing is unknown. We analyzed post-session narratives from 30 male veterans who, after a single open-label magnesium-ibogaine treatment, answered three open-ended questions. A constructivist grounded-theory approach identified four recurrent experiential domains: dialogic trauma re-appraisal marked by guided replay of autobiographical memories; altered-self and mystical connectedness; emotional resolution with surges of forgiveness, love, and renewed purpose; and embodied healing, a vivid sense of neural repair accompanied by cognitive clarity and somatic relief. Together, these themes portray an accelerated, self-directed psychotherapeutic process that dovetails with previously reported improvements in this same cohort, suggesting mind-body mechanisms involving rapid neuroplastic change and highlighting its potential to inform novel approaches to trauma and TBI.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s44184-026-00185-7

  View details for PubMedID 41620509

  View details for PubMedCentralID 10878970

• Mystical experiences during magnesium-Ibogaine are associated with improvements in PTSD symptoms in veterans. Journal of affective disorders Brown, R., Lissemore, J., Shinozuka, K., Coetzee, J., Faerman, A., Olash, C., Geoly, A., Buchanan, D., Cherian, K., Chaiken, A., Shamma, A., Sridhar, M., Hunegnaw, S., Johnson, N., Rolle, C., Adamson, M., Williams, N. 2025: 120722

  Abstract

  Ibogaine is an atypical psychedelic that evokes unique subjective effects, including mystical experiences. Mystical experiences have shown a mediating effect on clinical improvements following treatment with several psychedelic substances; however, the relationship between mystical experiences and clinical outcomes following ibogaine remains unclear. We examined the association between mystical experiences during ibogaine and subsequent changes in PTSD severity. We also explored the relationship between mystical experiences and several electroencephalography (EEG) measures found to underlie some of ibogaine's therapeutic effects. Our study included 30 male Veterans with traumatic brain injury from repeated blast/combat exposures who underwent magnesium-ibogaine therapy. We assessed mystical experiences post-treatment using the Mystical Experiences Questionnaire (MEQ30). PTSD severity and resting-state EEG assessments occurred at baseline and immediately and 1-month post-treatment. In linear mixed models, we used the time by MEQ30 interaction to assess the relationship between MEQ30 and changes in PTSD severity and EEG measures after treatment. Participants reporting greater intensity of mystical experiences following magnesium-ibogaine exhibited larger reductions in PTSD both immediately and one month after treatment (time by MEQ30 interaction for change from baseline: immediate post-treatment Badj = -5.89, padj < 0.001; 1-month post-treatment Badj = -4.45, padj = 0.007). Greater intensity of mystical experiences was also associated with larger reductions in peak alpha frequency one month after treatment (Badj = -0.38, padj = 0.006). These findings suggest that mystical experiences may contribute to improvements in PTSD following magnesium-ibogaine. Greater mystical experiences during ibogaine treatment may also be related to persisting decreases in peak alpha frequency.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2025.120722

  View details for PubMedID 41265656

• Magnesium-ibogaine therapy effects on cortical oscillations and neural complexity in veterans with traumatic brain injury NATURE MENTAL HEALTH Lissemore, J. I., Chaiken, A., Cherian, K. N., Buchanan, D., Espil, F., Keynan, J. N., Sridhar, M., Rolle, C. E., Saggar, M., Keller, C. J., Williams, N. R. 2025

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s44220-025-00463-x

  View details for Web of Science ID 001534635900001

• Higher Intensity of Mystical Experience Following Magnesium-Ibogaine is Associated With Larger Decreases in PTSD Severity Brown, R., Coetzee, J., Lissemore, J., Faerman, A., Olash, C., Buchanan, D., Geoly, A., Cherian, K., Adamson, M., Rolle, C., Williams, N. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2025: S274-S275

  View details for Web of Science ID 001483254800099

• Disruptive High-Frequency Stimulation of the Limbic System Reduces Theta Band Activity in Relation to Baseline Connectivity Wada, M., Johnson, N., Buchanan, D., Williams, N., Etkin, A., Bhati, M., Rolle, C. ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. 2025

  View details for Web of Science ID 001500622200084

• ACUTE AND LASTING CHANGES IN CORTICAL DYNAMICS AFTER IBOGAINE TREATMENT IN VETERANS WITH TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY Lissemore, J., Chaiken, A., Cherian, K., Buchanan, D., Espil, F., Keynan, J., Sridhar, M., Rolle, C., Saggar, M., Keller, C., Williams, N. SPRINGERNATURE. 2024: 460

  View details for Web of Science ID 001421429900075

• Early differences in lassitude predicts outcomes in Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy for difficult to treat depression. Npj mental health research Benrimoh, D., Azeez, A., Batail, J. M., Xiao, X., Buchanan, D., Bandeira, I. D., Geoly, A., Keynan, Y., Kratter, I. H., Williams, N. R. 2024; 3 (1): 49

  Abstract

  Stanford Neuromodulation Therapy (SNT), has recently shown rapid efficacy in difficult to treat (DTT) depression. We conducted an exploratory analysis of individual symptom improvements during treatment, correlated with fMRI, to investigate this rapid improvement in 23 DTT participants from an SNT RCT (12 active, 11 sham). Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale item 7 (Lassitude) was the earliest to show improvements between active and sham, as early as treatment day 2. Lassitude score at treatment day 3 was predictive of response at 4 weeks post-treatment and response immediately after treatment. Participants with lower lassitude scores at treatment day 3 had different patterns of sgACC functional connectivity compared to participants with higher scores in both baseline and post-treatment minus baseline analyses. Further work will aim to first replicate these preliminary findings, and then to extend these findings and examine how SNT may affect lassitude and behavioral activation early in treatment.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s44184-024-00099-2

  View details for PubMedID 39468255

  View details for PubMedCentralID 10499687

• Strategies to Mitigate Scalp Discomfort during Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Brain stimulation Lissemore, J. I., Buchanan, D. M., Batail, J. M., Kaloiani, I., Veerapal, C., Sahlem, G. L., Williams, N. R. 2024

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.brs.2024.09.004

  View details for PubMedID 39270928

• Frontostriatal salience network expansion in individuals in depression. Nature Lynch, C. J., Elbau, I. G., Ng, T., Ayaz, A., Zhu, S., Wolk, D., Manfredi, N., Johnson, M., Chang, M., Chou, J., Summerville, I., Ho, C., Lueckel, M., Bukhari, H., Buchanan, D., Victoria, L. W., Solomonov, N., Goldwaser, E., Moia, S., Caballero-Gaudes, C., Downar, J., Vila-Rodriguez, F., Daskalakis, Z. J., Blumberger, D. M., Kay, K., Aloysi, A., Gordon, E. M., Bhati, M. T., Williams, N., Power, J. D., Zebley, B., Grosenick, L., Gunning, F. M., Liston, C. 2024

  Abstract

  Decades of neuroimaging studies have shown modest differences in brain structure and connectivity in depression, hindering mechanistic insights or the identification of risk factors for disease onset1. Furthermore, whereas depression is episodic, few longitudinal neuroimaging studies exist, limiting understanding of mechanisms that drive mood-state transitions. The emerging field of precision functional mapping has used densely sampled longitudinal neuroimaging data to show behaviourally meaningful differences in brain network topography and connectivity between and in healthy individuals2-4, but this approach has not been applied in depression. Here, using precision functional mapping and several samples of deeply sampled individuals, we found that the frontostriatal salience network is expanded nearly twofold in the cortex of most individuals with depression. This effect was replicable in several samples and caused primarily by network border shifts, with three distinct modes of encroachment occurring in different individuals. Salience network expansion was stable over time, unaffected by mood state and detectable in children before the onset of depression later in adolescence. Longitudinal analyses of individuals scanned up to 62 times over 1.5 years identified connectivity changes in frontostriatal circuits that tracked fluctuations in specific symptoms and predicted future anhedonia symptoms. Together, these findings identify a trait-like brain network topology that may confer risk for depression and mood-state-dependent connectivity changes in frontostriatal circuits that predict the emergence and remission of depressive symptoms over time.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41586-024-07805-2

  View details for PubMedID 39232159

  View details for PubMedCentralID 9330277

• Should rTMS be considered a first-line treatment for major depressive episodes in adults? Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology O'Sullivan, S. J., Buchanan, D. M., Batail, J. V., Williams, N. R. 2024; 165: 76-87

  Abstract

  Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is an epidemic with rising social, economic, and political costs. In a patient whose major depressive episode (MDE) persists through an adequate antidepressant trial, insurance companies often cover alternative treatments which may include repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). RTMS is an FDA-cleared neuromodulation technique for TRD which is safe, efficacious, noninvasive, and well-tolerated. Recent developments in the optimization of rTMS algorithms and targeting have increased the efficacy of rTMS in treating depression, improved the clinical convenience of these treatments, and decreased the cost of a course of rTMS. In this opinion paper, we make a case for why conventional FDA-cleared rTMS should be considered as a first-line treatment for all adult MDEs. RTMS is compared to other first-line treatments including psychotherapy and SSRIs. These observations suggest that rTMS has similar efficacy, fewer side-effects, lower risk of serious adverse events, comparable compliance, the potential for more rapid relief, and cost-effectiveness. This suggestion, however, would be strengthened by further research with an emphasis on treatment-naive subjects in their first depressive episode, and trials directly contrasting rTMS with SSRIs or psychotherapy.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.06.004

  View details for PubMedID 38968909

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation as a countermeasure for behavioral and neuropsychological risks of long-duration and deep-space missions. NPJ microgravity Faerman, A., Buchanan, D. M., Williams, N. R. 2024; 10 (1): 58

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41526-024-00401-8

  View details for PubMedID 38806522

  View details for PubMedCentralID 10235498

• An ART Tour de Force on Mental Imagery: Vividness, Individual Bias Differences, and Complementary Visual Processing Streams INFORMATION D'Angiulli, A., Laarakker, C., Buchanan, D. 2024; 15 (1)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/info15010059

  View details for Web of Science ID 001151478600001

• Safety and Tolerability of tDCS across Different Ages, Sexes, Diagnoses, and Amperages: A Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Study. Journal of clinical medicine Buchanan, D. M., Amare, S., Gaumond, G., D'Angiulli, A., Robaey, P. 2023; 12 (13)

  Abstract

  Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique with substantial evidence for its safety and tolerability in adults. However, less than 5% of published tDCS research is in pediatrics. Our primary objective was to investigate tDCS safety, tolerability, and acceptability in a sample of children and adults. We hypothesized that children and adults would be equal with regard to tDCS safety, tolerability, and acceptability. We tested this hypothesis using a Bayesian approach. Sixty participants aged 6-45 (balanced for sex) participated in a randomized double-blind controlled trial. They were randomly assigned to two ten-minute tDCS sessions with varying amperages and electrode locations. The primary outcome measure of this study was the intensity of 13 potential side effects evaluated at six different time points spanning two weeks. Independent sample Bayes factor tests were conducted between children/adults, males/females, clinical/healthy, and low/high amperage groups. As predicted, there was moderate support for the null hypothesis in all between-group analyses. There were no serious adverse events or dropouts, and the number needed to treat for an additional harmful outcome was 23. This study provided evidence supporting the overall short-term safety, tolerability, and acceptability of tDCS including amperages up to 2 mA and different electrode placements.

  View details for DOI 10.3390/jcm12134346

  View details for PubMedID 37445385

• Taking modern psychiatry into the metaverse: Integrating augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies into psychiatric care. Frontiers in digital health Ford, T. J., Buchanan, D. M., Azeez, A., Benrimoh, D. A., Kaloiani, I., Bandeira, I. D., Hunegnaw, S., Lan, L., Gholmieh, M., Buch, V., Williams, N. R. 2023; 5: 1146806

  Abstract

  The landscape of psychiatry is ever evolving and has recently begun to be influenced more heavily by new technologies. One novel technology which may have particular application to psychiatry is the metaverse, a three-dimensional digital social platform accessed via augmented, virtual, and mixed reality (AR/VR/MR). The metaverse allows the interaction of users in a virtual world which can be measured and manipulated, posing at once exciting new possibilities and significant potential challenges and risks. While the final form of the nascent metaverse is not yet clear, the immersive simulation and holographic mixed reality-based worlds made possible by the metaverse have the potential to redefine neuropsychiatric care for both patients and their providers. While a number of applications for this technology can be envisioned, this article will focus on leveraging the metaverse in three specific domains: medical education, brain stimulation, and biofeedback. Within medical education, the metaverse could allow for more precise feedback to students performing patient interviews as well as the ability to more easily disseminate highly specialized technical skills, such as those used in advanced neurostimulation paradigms. Examples of potential applications in brain stimulation and biofeedback range from using AR to improve precision targeting of non-invasive neuromodulation modalities to more innovative practices, such as using physiological and behavioral measures derived from interactions in VR environments to directly inform and personalize treatment parameters for patients. Along with promising future applications, we also discuss ethical implications and data security concerns that arise when considering the introduction of the metaverse and related AR/VR technologies to psychiatric research and care.

  View details for DOI 10.3389/fdgth.2023.1146806

  View details for PubMedID 37035477

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10080019

• Promise for Personalized Diagnosis? Assessing the Precision of Wireless Consumer-Grade Electroencephalography across Mental States APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL D'Angiulli, A., Lockman-Dufour, G., Buchanan, D. 2022; 12 (13)

  View details for DOI 10.3390/app12136430

  View details for Web of Science ID 000824474300001

• Acceptability of transcranial direct current stimulation in children and adolescents with ADHD: The point of view of parents JOURNAL OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY Buchanan, D., D'Angiulli, A., Samson, A., Maisonneuve, A. R., Robaey, P. 2022; 27 (1): 36-46

  Abstract

  Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a novel treatment option for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. To facilitate translation into clinical practice, we interviewed parents of children who have experienced experimental tDCS. A grounded theory approach using open, axial, and selective coding provided seven emergent themes for acceptability: tDCS provides hope for parents, safety tolerability and side effects of tDCS versus medication, burden of treatment, education and trust with care providers, cost and coverage, unestablished tDCS efficacy versus established medication effectiveness, perceived compliance of tDCS versus medication. Results suggest tDCS is acceptable but depends on evidence of effectiveness and regular availability.

  View details for DOI 10.1177/1359105320937059

  View details for Web of Science ID 000550734400001

  View details for PubMedID 32686509