Ginkgo could aid memory formation in those with brain ailments

At least in down syndrome model NewScientist 3/3/07 "The ginkgo extract, called bilobalide, and another drug called pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), both block GABA... In a mouse model of Down's syndrome, mice that drank PTZ in chocolate milk, or received an injection of bilobalide, once a day for 17 days did significantly better at memory tests, such as recognising which of two objects they had not seen before. The improvements lasted for up to three months after the mice stopped taking the drugs, suggesting that they had caused long-term changes in brain activity ... In a mouse model of Down's syndrome, mice that drank PTZ in chocolate milk, or received an injection of bilobalide, once a day for 17 days did significantly better at memory tests, such as recognising which of two objects they had not seen before. The improvements lasted for up to three months after the mice stopped taking the drugs, suggesting that they had caused long-term changes in brain activity "

So what about ginkgo in healthy folks? Is there a similar long term change of brain activity related to gaba?

NIH has a short primer on Ginkgo. On that site it mentions the study done by NIA where 200 healthy individuals were given ginkgo for 6 weeks and were found to have no improvement in memory. This larger study contradicted smaller studies done previously.

Mayo Clinic has a good site that rates the health use of ginkgo for various conditions.

It appears ginkgo works more effectively for some whose memory centers are ailing for a variety of reasons. More research is underway so there will be a clearer idea of the benefits of ginkgo relatively soon.

This 2007 study seems to reinforce the notion that ginkgo might not help memory in people that are healthy.

As always Ray Sahelian has a good post on ginkgo.

What are the benefits of ginkgo for healthy people? A number of studies indicated that ginkgo boosts glutathione and thus helps limit oxidative damage from a variety of environmental factors.

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