Brain Boost: How Gingko Biloba Might Help After All

Last year we asked "Will Taking Ginkgo Biloba Help My Memory?" and concluded:

There is in fact some promise for the extract in treating patients who already have dementia, including Alzheimer's. But these are not the people walking into the smoothie shop and ordering a brain boosting smoothie.

Now, new research validates the benefit of ginkgo biloba for people already showing signs of cognitive decline.

In "A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial of an extract of Ginkgo biloba for dementia," ginko biloba extract measurably improved the the cognitive performance of "a substantial number" of 309 patients suffering from dementia.

It's not a cure-all, but does help some patients:

EGb was safe and appears capable of stabilizing and, in a substantial number of cases, improving the cognitive performance and the social functioning of demented patients for (the study period of) 6 months to 1 year. Although modest, the changes induced by EGb were objectively measured by the ADAS-Cog and were of sufficient magnitude to be recognized by the caregivers in the GERRI.

The year-long study has several features that make it substantive. It measured results against a placebo, so that the well-known effect of the same name was accounted for. It was double-blind, meaning that neither the patients nor the researchers knew who was getting a placebo and who was receiving the ginko biloba. And it was published in the prestigious and peer-reviewed Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers used an extract identified as EGb 761.

Preventive Ginkgo? Maybe

An even more recent study goes farther and finds a preventive effect. That research, also of high quality and over a longer (3.5 year) timeframe than the one above, ran into trouble when its subjects didn't stick to their medication plan, but the authors were able to adjust for that and reported in Neurology that there was a "protective effect of GBE (ginkgo biloba extract) on the progression to Clinical Dementia Rating = 0.5* ("very mild dementia") and memory decline." It's an intriguing finding that should spur further high-quality research.

If you decide "why not" and decide to undertake a ginkgo regimen, take some care. The JAMA study reported no adverse medical consequences from the biloba extract, but the Neurology paper found that "more stroke and TIA cases observed among the GBE group requires further study to confirm."

The Real Memory Aids

The Economist reports (link; subscribers only) that cognition enhancers do exist -- you just won't find them at Jamba Juice:

Provigil and Ritalin really do enhance cognition in healthy people. Provigil, for example, adds the ability to remember an extra digit or so to an individual's working memory (most people can hold seven random digits in their memory, but have difficulty with eight). It also improves people's performance in tests of their ability to plan.

The magazine reports that research into cognition seems set to spin off scientifically proven brain boosting drugs. Today's ginkgo and Red Bull may become tomorrow's over the counter cognition aid.

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* That 0.5 CDR translates to "consistent slight forgetfulness" in memory and slight impairment with time relationships, problem solving, shopping, community activities, hobbies, and intellectual interests.