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The Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study is an investigational research study sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (each a part of the National Institutes of Health).
The goal of this study is to find out if medicine made from the plant Ginkgo biloba can prevent or delay the changes in memory, thinking, and personality that can occur as people get older. Doctors refer to these changes as "dementia," the most well known type being Alzheimer's disease.
We have enrolled over 3000 people in this study. Half are taking pills that contain Ginkgo biloba, and half are taking a "placebo" (pills that do not contain Ginkgo biloba). After five years, when the study has been completed, we will compare the two groups to see if there are differences in how memory, thinking, and personality have changed, and to see if Ginkgo biloba has been effective in preventing these changes.
Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study
The best and most reliable form of research is the double-blind placebo-controlled study. A treatment cannot really be said to be proven effective unless it has been examined in properly designed and sufficiently large studies of this type.
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In these experiments, one group of subjects receives the "real thing"—the active substance being tested. The other half receives a placebo designed to appear, as much as possible, like the real thing. Individuals in both groups don't know whether they are getting the real treatment or placebo (they are "blind"). |
Furthermore, the researchers administering placebo and real treatment are also kept in the dark about which group is receiving which treatment (making it a "double-blind" experiment). This last part is important, because it prevents the researchers from unintentionally tipping off the study participants, or unconsciously biasing their evaluation of the results.
The purpose of this kind of study is to eliminate the power of suggestion. It is true, although hard to believe, that people given placebo (fake) treatment frequently report dramatic and long-lasting improvements in their symptoms. However, if the people in the real treatment group fare significantly better than those in the placebo group, it is a strong indication that the treatment really works. |