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A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Trial of Ginkgo biloba Added to Risperidone in Patients with Autistic Disorders

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Abstract

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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Acknowledgments

This study was the thesis of Dr. Elmira Hasanzadeh. This study was supported by a grant from Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Grant No: 9500) to Prof. Shahin Akhondzadeh.

Conflict of interest

No conflict of interest was declared by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychiatric Research Center, Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, South Kargar Street, 13337, Tehran, Iran

    Elmira Hasanzadeh, Mohammad-Reza Mohammadi & Shahin Akhondzadeh

  2. Research Center for Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Hafez Hospital, Shiraz, Iran

    Ahmad Ghanizadeh

  3. Institute of Medicinal Plants (ACECR), Tehran, Iran

    Shams-Ali Rezazadeh

  4. Department of Medical Genetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mina Tabrizi

  5. Qods Hospital, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

    Farzin Rezaei

Authors
  1. Elmira Hasanzadeh
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  2. Mohammad-Reza Mohammadi
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  3. Ahmad Ghanizadeh
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  4. Shams-Ali Rezazadeh
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  5. Mina Tabrizi
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  6. Farzin Rezaei
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  7. Shahin Akhondzadeh
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shahin Akhondzadeh.

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Hasanzadeh, E., Mohammadi, MR., Ghanizadeh, A. et al. A Double-Blind Placebo Controlled Trial of Ginkgo biloba Added to Risperidone in Patients with Autistic Disorders. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 43, 674–682 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10578-012-0292-3

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