A double-blind placebo controlled trial of Ginkgo biloba added to risperidone in
patients with autistic disorders.
Author(s): Hasanzadeh E, Mohammadi MR, Ghanizadeh A, Rezazadeh SA, Tabrizi M, Rezaei F,
Akhondzadeh S.
Affiliation(s): Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran University of
Medical Sciences, South Kargar Street, 13337 Tehran, Iran.
Publication date & source: 2012, Child Psychiatry Hum Dev. , 43(5):674-82
Ginkgo biloba has been reported to affect the neurotransmitter system and to have
antioxidant properties that could impact the pathogenesis of Autism Spectrum
Disorder. Based on these studies, we decided to assess the effectiveness of
Ginkgo biloba extract (Ginko T.D., Tolidaru, Iran) as an adjunctive agent to
risperidone in the treatment of autism. Forty-seven outpatients with a DSM-IV-TR
diagnosis of autism ages between 4 and 12 years were assigned to this double
blinded clinical trial and were randomly divided into two groups. One group
received risperidone plus Ginko T.D and the other received risperidone plus
placebo. The dose of risperidone was 1-3 mg/day and the dose of Ginko T.D. was 80
mg/day for patients under 30 kg and 120 mg/day for patients above 30 kg. Patients
were assessed using Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) rating scale
and the side effect check list every 2 weeks until the endpoint. None of the 5
subscales of ABC-C rating scale showed significant differences between the two
groups. Incidents of side effects were not significantly different between the
two groups. Adding Ginkgo biloba to risperidone did not affect the treatment
outcome of ADs. Nevertheless, further observations are needed to confirm this
result.
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