Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42477703›Full record

ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2026

Associations of Ginkgo biloba extract exposure with 12-month cognitive trajectories in amyloid PET-positive mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: a pooled retrospective cohort study.

YoungSoon Yang, Yong Tae Kwak

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Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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2 authors.

YoungSoon YangDepartment of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Cheonan Hospital, 31 Suncheonhyang 6-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, 31151, Republic of Korea.
Yong Tae KwakDepartment of Neurology, Hyoja Geriatric Hospital, 1-30, Jungbu-daero 874beon-gil, Giheung-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, 17089, Republic of Korea. kwakdr@gmail.com.

Funding

Korea Health Industry Development Institute HI22C0667
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) show considerable heterogeneity in treatment response, underscoring the need for individualized therapeutic approaches. Ginkgo biloba extract is commonly used in cognitive disorders, but its efficacy in amyloid biomarker-confirmed populations remains unclear. To evaluate the association between Ginkgo biloba extract exposure and 12-month cognitive and functional change patterns in amyloid PET-positive MCI/AD, and to assess whether baseline plasma MDS-OAβ (amyloid oligomerization tendency) is associated with cognitive trajectory subgroup membership.

methodsIn this 12-month retrospective study, 165 drug-naïve amyloid PET-positive patients (83 with documented Ginkgo biloba extract use in routine care and 82 without documented Ginkgo use) were assessed for changes in Korean Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE-2), Clinical Dementia Rating-Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), Korean Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (K-IADL), and plasma MDS-OAβ levels. K-means clustering was used to define three cognitive trajectory subgroups, and exploratory one-vs-rest adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to examine baseline variables associated with trajectory group membership.

resultsThree cognitive trajectories were identified: Improver (n = 36), Stabler (n = 113), and Decliner (n = 16). Compared with patients without documented Ginkgo use, patients with documented Ginkgo exposure showed significantly greater cognitive gains (ΔK-MMSE-2 + 1.42 vs. - 0.30, p = 0.012), less IADL decline (p < 0.001), and greater reductions in MDS-OAβ levels (p < 0.001). Baseline plasma MDS-OAβ did not significantly differ among the trajectory groups and was not interpreted as a robust independent predictor of trajectory membership. Ginkgo use differed significantly across trajectory groups and was least frequent in the Decliner group.

conclusionsIn this amyloid PET-positive MCI/AD cohort, Ginkgo biloba extract exposure was associated with more favorable 12-month cognitive, functional, and plasma MDS-OAβ changes. However, baseline MDS-OAβ should be regarded as an exploratory biomarker rather than a validated predictor of improvement or Ginkgo-related benefit.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCognitionCognitive DysfunctionPlant ExtractsAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleGinkgo bilobaGinkgo ExtractHumansMalePositron-Emission TomographyRepublic of KoreaRetrospective StudiesGinkgo biloba extractGinkgo ExtractPlant ExtractsAlzheimer’s diseaseAmyloid PETCognitive trajectoriesGinkgo bilobaMDS-OAβMild cognitive impairment

Identifiers

PMID42477703
PMCPMC13663185

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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.