OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of King's Brain pills (Compound Chinese ginseng extract from herbs) on the treatment and the delaying of memory decline in the elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in a community by a year follow-up of neuropsychology.

METHOD75 patients with MCI were selected from Beixinqiao community of Beijing by a cutoff score of 0.0/0.5 on CDR and were randomly assigned into a treatment group (n = 30 cases), given 4 pills of a compound Chinese ginseng extract (King's Brain) with 2 placebo tablets, and a positive control group (n = 30 cases), given 2 tablets of Piracetam with 4 placebo tablets, as well as a placebo group (n = 15 cases), given a placebo of 4 tablets and 2 pills. All subjects took this medication 3 times a day for 3 months. Single-blind and double-moulding control were used in this study. At a baseline and a middlepoint (after 3 months), and a follow-up end (one year later) following a three months of medication therapeutics, all subjects were assessed using a battery consisting of MMSE and 5 memory items on BNPT battery.

RESULTIn the treatment group, MMSE score 27.50 +/- 1.68 was increased to 28.27 +/- 1.70 after 3 months but decreased to 26.90 +/- 1.90 after one year of the treatment. However, the latter score was higher than that in a placebo group 26.33 +/- 1.03 (P < 0.05). Verbal Learning Test score was significantly increased from 68.73 +/- 28.74 at baseline to 87.33 +/- 29.78 at follow-up point in the treatment group, which was significantly higher than that in the placebo group (P < 0.01). The total score of memory items on BNPT battery was significantly increased from 78.23 +/- 28.98 at baseline to 93.53 +/- 35.56 at follow-up point in the treatment group, higher than that in Piracetam group (P < 0.05) and the placebo group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONBoth King's Brain spills and piracetam tablets have protective effect on cognitive and memory decline in elderly with MCI.