Why Ginkgo Biloba?

Memories are made of this
It didn't take long for the scientists at Stanford to sort through the problems of the DS mouse and pinpoint a major dysfunction in their brain. The memory switches never got turned on. It is important to realize that all learning depends on memory and a lack of creating long term memory may explain much of the difficulty individuals with DS have in learning. Let us take you into the laboratory and you can see for yourself an excellent example of scientific deduction that led to this conclusion.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)
Mice can be trained to solve simple tasks. For example, if a mouse is placed in a pool of milky water, it will swim about until it finds a hidden platform to climb out on. With repetition, the mouse soon learns to locate the platform more quickly. Presumably it does so with the aid of visual cues placed around the perimeter of the pool because it cannot see or smell the platform itself. Down syndrome mice cannot learn this task no matter how many times they try. This suggests that neurons in their brains are not suitable for this type of learning.

What is going on?
When the mouse finds the platform he gets a little blip in his brain. Then the second time he finds it he gets a much bigger blip, and continues to get a big blip every time he finds it after that. This process is called Long Term Potentiation, (LTP). With a Down syndrome mouse he would get a little blip the first time, the second time, the third time, etc. Always the same result! No LTP! We know LTP is a major factor in forming memories, in mice and in humans, and without it learning is highly restricted. Think back to your school days when you were trying to memorize something for a test; what you were doing is activating LPT in your brain with repetitive stimulus. It's called recall.

Our purpose for this review is to give you a little insight into the research process. If nothing else it will give you more confidence in the process and the recommendations that are forthcoming. So we would like to take you stepwise through how the mystery of insufficient LTP in Down syndrome was unraveled.

Action in the brain can be related to traffic at a major intersection. Because there is so much traffic it requires a signal light to keep order, and allow cars to pass without hitting each other. Everyone knows green light is go; red light is stop. It is basically the same in the brain except we use different names. Of course there are no lights involved, just two different chemicals, and the signal given depends on which one is in action.

You might think because you are awake and alert all day that the most used signal is the excitatory, but this is not the case. In fact it is just the opposite - by a wide margin 95 to 98% are inhibitory. Peeling away all the incidental stimuli that you come in contact with is a big job, but when it is done you can operate with a clear mind on the specific things you are interested in. Some extreme examples of this are having a conversation at a crowded cocktail party, doing your homework with the TV on, going to sleep, etc.

On the other end of this switching system is a receiver. It is called an NMDA receptor. This also had to be checked.

Stepwise the researchers analyzed the DS mice system by system. They found the following:

• The excitatory synaptic transmission is normal in the DS mice.
• The NMDA receptor is normal in DS mice.

Excessive inhibitory transmission which restricts synaptic activation of the excitatory receptors is the cause for the failure to induce LTP in DS mice.

You may not realize it but this discovery has turned the Down syndrome world upside down. All efforts to date have been aimed at increasing the excitatory transmission. In Down syndrome the brain activity is low, and the person is mentally challenged; the obvious answer is to increase the excitatory activity. But, the work at Stanford says it the other side of the system that needs to be addressed reduce the inhibitory activity.

The researchers at Stanford have demonstrated that an excess of inhibitory signals is the problem. In other words, there are too many red lights in the system and making the green lights greener doesn't help, we have to turn off some of the red lights.

Research has clarified the mystery. They have given us a well defined objective. It now looks more like a medical problem that should respond to the proper medication than an insurmountable mass of confusion. An extensive literature search has uncovered a short list of products that demonstrate this type of restrictive activity on inhibitory transmission. They will be reviewed and tested. It would appear that we are close to our first treatment program earlier than we could have expected. While Stanford is now working on a small group of pharmaceutical products testing which will be the best fit, this band of diligent parents scoured the internet and found a good treatment option.

The drug classification is called a GABA antagonist. It goes against the GABA receptor and turns off some or all of the red lights. Stanford used a chemical in its study that shut the GABA receptor down 100%. We just want to turn the volume down, not off. The best internet searcher in the world, a mother from Cincinnati found a study out of the University of Sidney, which compared the chemical Stanford used in its study to a fairly common herb, Ginkgo Biloba. The study looked at how each of the chemicals worked and found they did the same things. Except for one important difference. The Ginkgo Biloba did not turn the red lights off 100% no matter what dose you take.

Ginkgo Biloba has been used by the Chinese for about 5000 years. It has no major side effects. If you put Ginkgo Biloba into a search engine, you will see that they say it improves memory by increasing blood flow. We don't think anyone knew how it worked just that it improved memory in some people but the lab in Sydney is the first to show us how it worked.

At this point, you must be wondering, why isn't someone doing a formal study if it works that well? Good question. We are!!!!!!! We have started a small private clinical study using the protocol discussed on this website. We will follow as many individuals as we have the funds for. If you would like to donate to the study, click here.(link to donation page) Be a part of the most wonderful change for individuals with Down syndrome. The most exciting part is we are documented the progress with formal psychological testing as well as film. The DVD will follow 6 individuals for 1 year. Seeing is Believing!!!!!!

There is no doubt that with improved memory will come increased learning and ability to participate in social activities. Memory is a fundamental requirement to understanding and learning and this will lead to many more improvements in all areas. We all live busy lives but we would love to hear your stories.

Dosing - There are about 10 kids with Down Syndrome on Ginkgo Biloba and all have had memory and functional improvements. We have figured out dose matters. If you don't take enough, you don't see much difference. The receptor acts like a light switch if the switch is only half way, there is no light. You have to flip the switch. But the good news is, more doesn't hurt you. If you take too much, you have wasted a little money and you might possibly get an upset stomach.

We have anecdotally worked out about 2.5 mg per pound for the extract formula for Ginkgo Biloba. For example, a 70 pound child would take 180 mg per day. That may seem like a lot but the active ingredient is only 4 % of the whole. The biloba (active ingredient) is only 7mg of a 180 mg dose. There is also a whole leaf formula which comes in a liquid form (may be easier for kids that can't swallow pills yet). The whole leaf is at a dose of 10mg per pound.

This website is not intended to give medical advice only medical information. Everyone needs to make decisions for himself but it would have been selfish and unfair of us not to use the new media to share our successes.

Now the fun part.... let's see how this has improved our kid's lives! View Documentation Here...

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The information provided on this site is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. The information on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.