Trial reportNeurology2012
Ginkgo biloba does not improve cognitive function in MS: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.
Trial report in Neurology, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 24 papers, 3 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.
Ginkgo Biloba for Cognitive Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis
Intranasal Insulin for Improving Cognitive Function in Multiple Sclerosis
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Pharmacological treatment options for cognitive dysfunction induced by multiple sclerosis: a network meta-analysis.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Cognitive Efficacy of Pharmacologic Treatments in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review.CNS drugs · 2020Pooled it
- Pharmacological treatment for memory disorder in multiple sclerosis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013Pooled it
- Intranasal insulin for improving cognitive function in multiple sclerosis.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2025Trial
- Modulatory effects of traditional Chinese medicine and derived active metabolites on autoimmune-inflammatory signaling pathways in multiple sclerosis: a narrative review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Natural flavonoids in multiple sclerosis: molecular insights and emerging therapeutic strategies.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- The therapeutic effects of various tonic traditional Chinese medicines on demyelinating diseases.Metabolic brain disease · 2025Review
- Can supplementation with antioxidants improve cognitive functions in patients with multiple sclerosis? A literature review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- Article
- Obesity Control and Supplementary Nutraceuticals as Cofactors of Brain Plasticity in Multiple Sclerosis Populations.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Centella asiatica promotes antioxidant gene expression and mitochondrial oxidative respiration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.Research square · 2023Article
- Current Status of Oral Disease-Modifying Treatment Effects on Cognitive Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis: A Scoping Review.Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Medicinal herbs and multiple sclerosis: Overview on the hard balance between new therapeutic strategy and occupational health risk.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2022Review
- The effects of twenty-one nutrients and phytonutrients on cognitive function: A narrative review.Journal of clinical and translational research · 2021Review
- The Safety and Efficacy of Botanicals with Nootropic Effects.Current neuropharmacology · 2021Review
- Recommendations for cognitive screening and management in multiple sclerosis care.Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England) · 2018Review
- The Evidence for Dietary Interventions and Nutritional Supplements as Treatment Options in Multiple Sclerosis: a Review.Current treatment options in neurology · 2018Review
- Efficacy and Tolerability of Phytomedicines in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Review.CNS drugs · 2017Review
- Effects of Physical Activity and Ginkgo Biloba on Cognitive Function and Oxidative Stress Modulation in Ischemic Rats.The International journal of angiology : official publication of the International College of Angiology, Inc · 2017Article
- Impact of Pharmacotherapy on Cognitive Dysfunction in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis.CNS drugs · 2016Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine whether Ginkgo biloba extract (ginkgo) improves cognitive function in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).
methodsPersons with MS from the Seattle and Portland VA clinics and adjacent communities who scored 1 SD or more below the mean on one of 4 neuropsychological tests (Stroop Test, California Verbal Learning Test II [CVLT-II], Controlled Oral Word Association Test [COWAT], and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task [PASAT]) were randomly assigned to receive either one 120-mg tablet of ginkgo (EGb-761; Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co, Germany) or one placebo tablet twice a day for 12 weeks. As the primary outcome, we compared the performance of the 2 groups on the 4 tests at exit after adjusting for baseline performance.
resultsFifty-nine subjects received placebo and 61 received ginkgo; 1 participant receiving placebo and 3 receiving ginkgo were lost to follow-up. Two serious adverse events (AEs) (myocardial infarction and severe depression) believed to be unrelated to the treatment occurred in the ginkgo group; otherwise, there were no significant differences in AEs. The differences (ginkgo - placebo) at exit in the z scores for the cognitive tests were as follows: PASAT -0.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.5 to 0.1); Stroop Test -0.5 (95% CI -0.9 to -0.1); COWAT 0.0 (95% CI -0.2 to 0.3); and CVLT-II 0.0 (95% CI -0.3 to 0.3); none was statistically significant.
conclusionsTreatment with ginkgo 120 mg twice a day did not improve cognitive performance in persons with MS. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class I evidence that treatment with ginkgo 120 mg twice a day for 12 weeks does not improve cognitive performance in people with MS.
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.