MEMORY could be boosted in people with Down’s syndrome using a ginkgo tree extract.
People with Down’s syndrome often find it difficult to remember facts and events. This could be because neurons in the hippocampus – an important area of the brain for memory formation – are overinhibited by a neurotransmitter called GABA.
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…
