Home › Research › Treatments
The GuidAge study: methodological issues. A 5-year double-blind randomized trial of the efficacy of EGb 761 for prevention of Alzheimer disease in patients over 70 with a memory complaint
Vellas B, Andrieu S, Ousset PJ, Ouzid M, Mathiex-Fortunet H, GuidAge Study Group.. Neurology, 2006-11-01
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
Background Preventive approaches in the field of Alzheimer disease (AD) is important but these trials raise many questions. Which protective factor should be studied? What population should be studied? With which principal and secondary criteria? We present here the design of the ongoing GuidAge Study. In the past, several studies suggest that Ginkgo biloba could have a potential benefit effect on cognitive function. The aim of the GuidAge Study is to evaluate the efficacy of 240 mg/d of EGb 761 in the prevention of AD. Methods GuidAge is a 5-year double-blind randomized trial conducted in France by a private practice/hospital network of general practitioners and hospital practitioners specializing in memory disorders. This study enrolled elderly subjects with spontaneous memory complaint and the primary outcome is the incidence of AD during a 5 years follow-up period. A total of 2854 subjects were enrolled between March 2002 and September 2004. The age of the study population was 76.8 +/- 4.4 with mean MMSE at entry 27.8 +/- 1.7. Conclusion The GuidAge study is the largest study carried out in Europe on the prevention of AD. Final results should be available in 2010.
Key findings
- In the past, several studies suggest that Ginkgo biloba could have a potential benefit effect on cognitive function.
- Final results should be available in 2010.
Why it matters
This paper reports the design of a 5-year trial testing whether Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb 761) prevents Alzheimer's disease in people over 70 with memory complaints. No results on prevention are available here, so no conclusion about its effectiveness can be drawn.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Treatments →
Study details
- Study designrandomized controlled trial
- Participants2,854
- Evidence strengthHigh
How this study scored 65/100
Published in a leading specialty journal, and it is a randomised controlled trial. Scored zero for effect reported because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 9 / 10 | Tier 2 — leading specialty journal (Neurology) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | Neurology: journal h-index 525 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 11 / 12 | A randomised controlled trial |
| Strength of evidence | 5 / 5 | Rated “high” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2006 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,854 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 2 / 2 | Randomised and blinded or placebo-controlled (as stated in the record) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 63 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.9 citations a year over 22 year(s) since 2006 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 23.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 0 / 4 | Cited 1 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Hélène Mathiex‐Fortunet: h-index 12 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | Inserm: institution h-index 1,988 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 17101932) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 65 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
May need a subscription Unpaywall, Europe PMC and OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 10 Oct 2026), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Vellas, B., Andrieu, S., Ousset, P. J., Ouzid, M., Mathiex-Fortunet, H., & GuidAge Study Group. (2006). The GuidAge study: methodological issues. A 5-year double-blind randomized trial of the efficacy of EGb 761 for prevention of Alzheimer disease in patients over 70 with a memory complaint. Neurology. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.67.9_suppl_3.s6
Vancouver
Vellas B, Andrieu S, Ousset PJ, Ouzid M, Mathiex-Fortunet H, GuidAge Study Group. The GuidAge study: methodological issues. A 5-year double-blind randomized trial of the efficacy of EGb 761 for prevention of Alzheimer disease in patients over 70 with a memory complaint. Neurology. 2006. doi:10.1212/wnl.67.9_suppl_3.s6. PMID: 17101932.
BibTeX
@article{vellas2006-17101932,
author = {Vellas, B. and Andrieu, S. and Ousset, P. J. and Ouzid, M. and Mathiex-Fortunet, H. and {GuidAge Study Group}},
title = {{The GuidAge study: methodological issues. A 5-year double-blind randomized trial of the efficacy of EGb 761 for prevention of Alzheimer disease in patients over 70 with a memory complaint}},
journal = {Neurology},
year = {2006},
doi = {10.1212/wnl.67.9_suppl_3.s6},
pmid = {17101932},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.67.9_suppl_3.s6}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
2 studies in the alzhub library list this one in their references.
Related studies in Treatments
Also tagged “double-blind”
783 studies in the library carry the topic tag “double-blind”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 783 tagged studies.