A Pilot EEG Study on the Acute Neurophysiological Effects of Single-Dose Astragaloside IV in Healthy Young Adults

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 17; no. 15; p. 2425
• Main Authors: Müdüroğlu Kırmızıbekmez, Aynur, Özdemir, Mustafa, Önder, Alparslan, Çatı, Ceren, Kara, İhsan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.07.2025; MDPI
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adult; Alzheimer's disease; Brain - drug effects; Brain - physiology; Brain research; Brain Waves - drug effects; Cognition - drug effects; Electroencephalography; Female; Healthy Volunteers; Herbal medicine; Humans; Investigations; Male; Measurement techniques; Memory; Parkinson's disease; Pharmacodynamics; Pilot Projects; Saponins - administration & dosage; Saponins - pharmacology; Toxicity; Triterpenes - administration & dosage; Triterpenes - pharmacology; Within-subjects design; Young Adult; Istanbul Turkey; Turkey; astragalus; brain oscillations; alpha/beta ratio; Astragaloside IV; cognitive modulation; EEG
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu17152425

Objective: This study aimed to explore the acute neurophysiological effects of a single oral dose of Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on EEG-measured brain oscillations and cognitive-relevant spectral markers in healthy young adults. Methods: Twenty healthy adults (8 females, 12 males; mean age: 23.4±2.1) underwent eyes-closed resting-state EEG recordings before and approximately 90 min after oral intake of 150 mg AS-IV. EEG data were collected using a 21-channel 10–20 system and cleaned via Artifact Subspace Reconstruction and Independent Component Analysis. Data quality was confirmed using a signal-to-noise ratio and 1/f spectral slope. Absolute and relative power values, band ratios, and frontal alpha asymmetry were computed. Statistical comparisons were made using paired t-tests or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Results: Absolute power decreased in delta, theta, beta, and gamma bands (p < 0.05) but remained stable for alpha. Relative alpha power increased significantly (p = 0.002), with rises in relative beta, theta, and delta and a drop in relative gamma (p = 0.003). Alpha/beta and theta/beta ratios increased, while delta/alpha decreased. Frontal alpha asymmetry was unchanged. Sex differences were examined in all measures that showed significant changes; however, no sex-dependent effects were found. Conclusions: A single AS-IV dose may acutely modulate brain oscillations, supporting its potential neuroactive properties. Larger placebo-controlled trials, including concurrent psychometric assessments, are needed to verify and contextualize these findings. A single AS-IV dose may acutely modulate brain oscillations, supporting its potential neuroactive properties.