Ginkgo Biloba Extract Inhibits Dementia-Causing Substances: First Confirmation Through Brain Imaging

Eighteen-Month Administration in Mild Cognitive Impairment Patients Shows 0% Progression to Dementia
From "Symptom Relief" to "Root Cause Inhibition": A Potential Paradigm Shift in Dementia Treatment

It has once again been confirmed through brain imaging tests that ginkgo biloba extract prevents the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, which is a cause of Alzheimer’s dementia.

On the 18th, at the Media Roundtable held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Professor Yang Youngsoon of the Department of Neurology at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital presented research results proving the inhibitory effect of ginkgo biloba extract oligomerization through amyloid PET scans. Photo by the Korea Medical Biojournalists Association

At a media roundtable held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on May 18, Youngsun Yang, a professor of neurology at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital and insurance director of the Korean Dementia Association, presented research results demonstrating the inhibitory effect of ginkgo biloba extract on oligomerization through amyloid PET scans.

Professor Yang’s team conducted a study on patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who tested positive in amyloid PET scans. In the study group, patients were given 240mg of ginkgo biloba extract per day, while the control group received existing cognitive supplements such as omega-3 and choline precursors for 18 months, and their clinical progress was compared.

The results showed that after 18 months, the group taking conventional supplements experienced a significant increase in dementia-related substances (beta-amyloid) throughout the brain, including the frontal and parietal lobes. In contrast, the ginkgo biloba extract group maintained their initial levels, with no increase in dementia-related substances, and blood tests even showed a decrease in the tendency for protein aggregation.

Professor Yang explained, “We directly confirmed through PET images that biomarker levels for amyloid aggregation decreased, and as a result, beta-amyloid no longer increased. This can be interpreted as a more sophisticated validation of the mechanism by which ginkgo biloba inhibits beta-amyloid aggregation.”

Such effects were also observed in the actual clinical improvement of the patients. Typically, 10-15% of patients with mild cognitive impairment progress to dementia each year. However, in this study, none of the patients who took ginkgo biloba extract progressed to dementia during the 18-month period (conversion rate to dementia: 0%). In contrast, 28.6% of those in the conventional supplement group were diagnosed with dementia.

Furthermore, in cognitive function tests measuring memory and attention, all patients in the ginkgo biloba extract group were assessed as “cognitively stable,” while 57.1% of the control group showed cognitive decline.

Professor Yang emphasized, “While previous dementia treatments mainly worked by temporarily alleviating symptoms by supplementing deficient neurotransmitters, ginkgo biloba extract directly controls the root cause of dementia by inhibiting protein aggregation. This marks a shift in the paradigm of dementia treatment from symptom suppression to addressing the underlying cause.”

Heejin Kim, professor of neurology at Hanyang University Hospital, noted, “Ginkgo biloba extract could be a good alternative for slowing the progression of dementia in early-stage patients. However, once dementia proteins have already damaged brain cells, recovery is difficult. Therefore, it is most important to visit a hospital before symptoms appear and to combine early medication with lifestyle improvements.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.