International Trepanation Advocacy Group

Skull trepanation has usually been considered a strange oddity by archeologists, anthropologists and neuroscientists. With nearly complete unanimity those professions consider trepanation to be some inexplicably superstitious and outdated practice for which there is no justification in the modern world. In short they believe that skull trepanation has no scientific basis.

The view at ITAG has been in direct opposition to the above positions. The hypothesis here at ITAG has been that making a opening in the skull favorably alters movement of blood through the brain and improves brain functions which are more important than ever before in history to adapt to an ever more rapidly changing world.

The supposition here at ITAG has been that every advantage should be available to anyone choosing to retain and improve their mental functions through their life span and thus assure their fullest participation in this one certain life, for their own well being and for the well being of the entire world population.

The original ITAG mission was to provide as much information as possible about trepanation. The information was mainly historical and anthropological with the single exception that the discussion of trepanation was framed around the subject of blood circulation through the brain and some scientific papers were presented describing how the pulse of the heart enters and leaves the skull in early life as compared to later in the aging process. From this discussion numerous individuals came forward who wanted to be electively trepanned.

During the period from 2000 until 2004, ITAG's focus was mainly on establishing relations with a medical facility that would provide elective trepanation services for individuals who wanted to be trepanned. Competent surgeons were found and a pilot study was instantiated. During those four years, fifteen volunteers were trepanned by an experienced surgeon. All surgeries were successful and there were no complications. All volunteers were satisfied with the results. However, the data that we were able to collect regarding the scientifically verifiable changes produced by making a skull opening was inconclusive. The MRI methods used were not sufficient to show any changes in blood flow and we discontinued the pilot study until such a time that the methods of observing any changes produced could be improved.

Taking the long-term view, it seemed more important to determine what method(s) could be used to observe changes in cerebral circulation due to making a skull opening than to continue providing a service that has been considered at best as a placebo and at worst as a deception. The effects of making a hole in the skull had to be verifiable or there would be no scientific basis for our medical associates to stand on and elective trepanation would continue to be excluded from everyday medical practice. Over the last four years, there have been some important changes in the direction of ITAG activities and recent developments making the ITAG mission, of once again providing elective trepanation, much more realistic than ever.


In 2005, an internationally known and widely published professor of cerebral circulation took up the investigation of trepanation and its effects on cerebral circulation for ITAG. Hospital studies were conducted on fifteen subjects who were having minor brain operations requiring opening of the skull. In all cases, the skull was left open after the surgery for a number of months. Measurements of cerebral circulation were taken before the skull was opened, after the skull was opened and again some months afterward when the skull was closed by plastic surgery. The measurements of blood flow before opening the skull were significantly less than when the skull was open and the blood flow returned to the starting level after the skull was surgically closed.

This study was part of a larger study supported by ITAG that surveyed changes in blood flow in the brain over many decades of life. The larger study has resulted in eight scientific publications in international medical journals and to several certificates of accomplishment for the contributions of ITAG. The study shows that the blood flow enhancement attained by skull trepanation resembles the blood flow characteristics of youth and on this basis the reduced flood flow through the brain characteristic of middle age can be restored to a youthful level.

There is a considerable amount of work still to be done before returning to providing elective trepanation. All help from the public is appreciated both in terms of scientific assistance, funding and the enthusiastic support of individuals who wish to volunteer for the next phase of the study of changes in blood flow through the brain before and after trepanation and in the longer term of the human life span.

To everyone who has visited Trepan.com recently only to see that it was inactive, I offer the explanation above. We’ve been very busy taking care of the fundamentals. Our recent scientific papers will be posted soon as well as the research of some other university groups who have studied the effects of making a skull opening.

Meanwhile, please sign up for our newsletters and notifications/updates from our new website and other upcoming ITAG activities. If you are considering trepanation for yourself and would like to volunteer for the next pilot study group, please indicate your interest as such and you will receive special notifications of developing plans and how you may participate.

Below you will find a video of a Serial MRI of CSF (or Cerebral Spinal Fluid) Movement. Many thanks for the specialized video footage that was provided by Professor Salvolini Anconi in France - Neurological Radiology Services.

Peter Halvorson
ITAG Founder & Director

The Effect of Craniotomy on the Intracranial Hemodynamics & Cerebrospinal Fluid Dynamics in Humans