SynthesisBMC geriatrics2010
Effects of Ginkgo biloba in dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 83 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
83 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 285 citations in OpenAlex.
- Dietary Flavonoids and Human Cognition: A Meta-Analysis.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2022Pooled it
- Different Doses of Pharmacological Treatments for Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: A Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2020Pooled it
- Treatment of dementia and mild cognitive impairment with or without cerebrovascular disease: Expert consensus on the use of Ginkgo biloba extract, EGb 761CNS neuroscience & therapeutics · 2019Guideline
- Efficacy and tolerability of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® in dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials.Clinical interventions in aging · 2014Pooled it
- Dementia.BMJ clinical evidence · 2012Pooled it
- Ginkgo biloba in Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review.Wiener medizinische Wochenschrift (1946) · 2010Pooled it
- Huperzine A for vascular dementia.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2009Pooled it
- Effects of Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® on cognitive control functions, mental activity of the prefrontal cortex and stress reactivity in elderly adults with subjective memory impairment - a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.Human psychopharmacology · 2016Trial
- Analysing Time to Event Data in Dementia Prevention Trials: The Example of the GuidAge Study of EGb761.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2015Trial
- Computational identification of Ginkgo biloba phytochemicals as dual inhibitors of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoproteins gB and gD targeting its entry and Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis.Journal, genetic engineering & biotechnology · 2026Article
- Ginkgo Biloba for Alzheimer's Disease: From Mixed Dementia Trials to Biomarker-Confirmed Mild Cognitive Impairment-What Have We Learned over Two Decades, and Is There Finally a Bit of Hope?Brain sciences · 2026Review
- A Multi-Axis Framework for Late-Life Alzheimer's Disease Interpretation.Journal of personalized medicine · 2026Review
- Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia: Prevention, treatments, mechanisms and management options for the future.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026Review
- Article
- Pharmacological Management of Mild Cognitive Impairment: From Symptomatic Treatment to Disease Modification-A Narrative Review.NeuroSci · 2025Review
- Kiperin Mind Focus supplement mitigates chronic stress-induced neuroinflammation and molecular dysregulation and improves stress-related affective and exploratory behaviors in rats.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2025Article
- Substantial Differences in Proanthocyanidin Contents among Ginkgo biloba Leaf Extracts in Herbal Medicinal Products Obtained from the German Market.Planta medica · 2024Article
- Review
- Early intervention and adding effective doses of EGb761 likeFrontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Cross-Regional Data Initiative for the Assessment and Development of Treatment for Neurological and Mental Disorders.Clinical epidemiology · 2023Article
23 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe benefit of Ginkgo biloba has been discussed controversially. The aim of this review was to assess the effects of Ginkgo biloba in Alzheimer's disease as well as vascular and mixed dementia covering a variety of outcome domains.
methodsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cochrane databases, CINAHL and PsycINFO for controlled trials of ginkgo for Alzheimer's, vascular or mixed dementia. Studies had to be of a minimum of 12 weeks duration with at least ten participants per group. Clinical characteristics and outcomes were extracted. Meta-analysis results were expressed as risk ratios or standardized mean differences (SMD) in scores.
resultsNine trials using the standardized extract EGb761(R) met our inclusion criteria. Trials were of 12 to 52 weeks duration and included 2372 patients in total. In the meta-analysis, the SMDs in change scores for cognition were in favor of ginkgo compared to placebo (-0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] -1.14; -0.01, p = 0.04), but did not show a statistically significant difference from placebo for activities in daily living (ADLs) (SMD = -0.32, 95% CI -0.66; 0.03, p = 0.08). Heterogeneity among studies was high. For the Alzheimer subgroup, the SMDs for ADLs and cognition outcomes were larger than for the whole group of dementias with statistical superiority for ginkgo also for ADL outcomes (SMD = -0.44, 95% CI -0.77; -0.12, p = 0.008). Drop-out rates and side effects did not differ between ginkgo and placebo. No consistent results were available for quality of life and neuropsychiatric symptoms, possibly due to the heterogeneity of the study populations.
conclusionsGinkgo biloba appears more effective than placebo. Effect sizes were moderate, while clinical relevance is, similar to other dementia drugs, difficult to determine.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.