Psycho Mythology: Memory boosters

Press Release

Ginkgo Biloba linked to improvement in memory

Toronto, March 27, 2012 - Youre with a friend, and all of the sudden one of you has to get going. You agree to continue the days conversation over the phone, but the problem is, neither of you has anything to take each others number down. You hastily insist that youll remember the number and purpose that the other person recites you the digits until you have the opportunity to write them down. As you go your separate ways, you cycle those ten tedious digits in your head until another thought crosses your mind and all of the sudden you cant remember whether that last digit was a 2 or a 5. Almost everyone has had some sort of manifestation of this experience. With all of the distractions that occur in our daily lives, it is often challenging to remember minute details that cross our paths every day. A study conducted by psychologist Dr. Oken attempts to shed light on this issue of memory with the use of a powerful natural herb known as ginkgo biloba which he claims has shown improvement of memory in humans. Dr. Oken conducted an in depth meta-analysis in which he examined the memory functions of patients with and without the ingestion of the herb and found significant effects of gingko on basic memory functions. Specifically, the experiment consisted of two groups of patients: the first was given 120-240 mg of the herb daily for an extended period of time while the other group was given a placebo. Using a conservative set of criteria, Oken examined 4 similar studies in which all criteria were unified and followed the same guide. What he and his colleagues found may surprise you. The ancient herb gingko was shown to increase attention, short-term memory and reaction time with results comparable to the current drug of choice in the treatment of Alzheimers called Donepezil.

Similarily, those patients receiving the placebo did not experience these enhanced results in tests involving cognitive abilities, which may add to the legitimacy of ginkgo. Although results were mild, they were statistically significant. In particular, the herb has had its most dramatic effects on individuals with degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimers. Although it is still unclear whether ginkgo stops or simply slows down the processes of these ailments, it is evident that it does produce some effects. Experimentation with this herb is relatively uncommon today, but has roots in ancient chinese medicine. Gingko Biloba has been used for centuries in the Eastern Orient as a treatment for memory issues. The herb itself is the only living member of the Ginkgoaceae family and has been described as a living fossil due to its resilience and resistance to a wide variety of pest and fungi. Tracing back over 250 million years, ginkgo is a concentrate from died or fresh leaves soaked in an acetone/water solution which is later used for human consumption. Not only does the herb draw legitimacy from its long storied past, but it extends its roots in current medicine as well. Recently, ginkgo has gained the approval of the German Bundesgesundheit Association for treating dementia which has led to its prevalence as an alternative medical treatment in Europe. Closer to home, the National Institute on Aging in the United States is currently testing the effects of the herb on Alzheimers disease. In a society where modern science has attempted to find a gene for every disease and a herb for every ailment, it is important to remember that the effects of the herb have been mild to date. Although results seem promising and the link between ginkgo and memory have been established, it is important to remember that there is no miracle cure for any one disease. The future however looks promising for ginkgo biloba, but until that future becomes reality, the full effects of the herb on humans remains a mystery.

Critical Commentary on Article Gingko Biloba has been described by many proponents of the natural herb as an alternative treatment to prescribed drugs in the effort of improving cognitive functions in humans. The article provided on the issue entitled, Psycho Mythology: Memory Boosters provides statistical evidence for both the alleged benefits of the herb Gingko as well as its possible downfalls in the realm of psychology. In order to analyze the article and the alleged effects of Gingko Biloba, one must first attain a basic understanding of what the herb has been shown to do. Firstly, Gingko is a natural herb that has been used for centuries in ancient chinese medicine as an apparent cure for memory issues relating to old age and degenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's. The reasoning for its employment in this area of medicine is because Gingko is the only living member of the Ginkgoaceae family which has been described as a living fossil with a strong resistance to a wide range of fungi and pests (Gold, et. al 2002). It is in part due to this natural longevity that gingko has drawn links to human longevity with regards to enhancements to human cognitive functions. However, in a society where individuals rely on herbal remedies to cure a variety of ailments, it is important to approach these issues with a critical mindset as herbal treatments are largely poorly regulated by government agencies on issues of both effectiveness and health risks (Gold, et. al 2002). In this sense, it is crucial to discern folklore from scientific method. With regards to Ginkgo biloba, there are a variety of experiments that have been conducted to test its effectiveness. Most of these findings however have been published in nonenglish journals which have restricted distribution, making it difficult to properly asses the herbs

alleged benefits on human cognitive functions (Gold, et. al 2002). Of the studies that have been conducted, many have focused on the issue of ginkgos effect on individuals with existing cognitive impairment such as dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It is important to note that these tests did follow unified conservative criteria which included standardized ginkgo extract and placebo administered in a double blind study, as well as the same characterization of Alzheimers disease (Oken, 1998). One experiment in particular which examined memory functions of patients with and without the ingestion of the herb found a significant effect of gingko opposed to the placebo given to the control group (Oken, 1998). In particular, gingko was shown to increase attention, short-term memory and reaction time with results comparable to the current drug of choice in the treatment of Alzheimers called Donepezil (Allain, 1993). Although the process the experimenters used was in no way compromising to the results of the study, they did neglect to employ a post-training design which would have measured cognitive functions before the ingestion of gingko in participants, rather then only measuring after the use of gingko (Korol & Gold, 1998). The current experimental design could have led to a placebo effect where cognitive improvement was the product of mere expectation which would entail the possibility of another hypothesis. What is also important to note is what the experiment actually measures. The experimental design which was employed did not allow for the identification of the cognitive functions susceptible to the influence of the herb, which brings up the issue of correlational designs where one must determine to what extent two variables are associated. Additionally, the experimental question is brought up: does the study measure the improvement of cognitive ability post-ginkgo or does it simply measure a slower deterioration rate in those patients. If used as a herbal treatment, the ladder hypothesis conjures ethical implications of extended harm and quality of life of an individual as slowing deterioration

is not a cure (Dongen et. al, 2000). Discerning between the two may change the entire experimental design. Also, it is important to discern if these findings were the result of a causation or simply a correlation between variables. These issues make interpreting the studies extremely difficult not necessarily for validity, but for generalizabilty and transferability to other aspects of gingkos medicinal benefits. Moving on, now that the experimental processes of gingko tests have been explored, it is instrumental to examine the actual efficacy of the herb on cognitive function. At best, effects of ginkgo are very modest in all experiments to date and raise questions pertaining to whether results in gingko are equal to those of hearing an arousing story or ingesting glucose (Cahill & McGaugh, 1998). This of course in turn raises questions of other factors leading to similar results, rival hypothesis not yet explored and an error in correlational design. Additionally, there exists a variety of experiments which do not result in the same findings as the previously explained experiment. For example, a well controlled study (Dongen et. al, 2000) following the same conservative criteria on individuals with dementia found no systematic or clinically meaningful effects of gingko on cognitive function which raises the obvious issue of replicability. Similarly, a 24 week, 31 patient placebo-controlled study found that patients receiving the standard dosage of gingko scored worse then those on the placebo dosage in a simple digit recall test (Rai, et. al, 1991). These findings may be a result of effects desired by certain patients and investigators a priori, regardless, the underrepresentation of negative effects of the herb are in violation of a confirmation bias which may lead to belief perseverance and further adds to the original experiments inability to be replicated. Essentially, the literature available in the efficacy of ginkgo is too limited to make broad generalizations about. Though the effects have the possibility of being sound, variance in

findings, lack of replicability and a general small sample size are key factors as to why gingko biloba cannot be classified as effective in the advancement of cognitive functions in humans.