Effects of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) on the steady state visually evoked potential during cognitive performance

source extracted confidence: high 2026-04-09
#adult #cognition #cross-over-studies #double-blind-method #evoked-potentials-visual

Effects of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) on the steady state visually evoked potential during cognitive performance

White et al., 2020 | Hum Psychopharmacol | Rct

Citation

White David J, Camfield David A, ... Scholey Andrew. Effects of Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) on the steady state visually evoked potential during cognitive performance. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2020-Nov;35(6):1-6. doi:10.1002/hup.2756

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of acute Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) administration on steady state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs) during completion of working memory and continuous performance tasks. METHODS: A randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled, balanced, cross-over trial was conducted in middle-aged volunteers aged between 40 and 60 years. Participants were administered 200 mg P. quinquefolius and placebo on two separate testing sessions. Six-h post-dose participants completed spatial working memory (SWM) and continuous performance (CP) tasks while SSVEP from a diffuse task-irrelevant 13 Hz flicker was recorded. RESULTS: During SWM retrieval, P. quinquefolius was associated with significantly reduced prefrontal SSVEP latency. There were no significant treatment effects on CP nor behavioural performance of either task. CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide preliminary evidence of increased recruitment of prefrontal brain regions during working memory processing following a single acute dose of P. quinquefolius.

Key Findings

During SWM retrieval, P. quinquefolius was associated with significantly reduced prefrontal SSVEP latency. There were no significant treatment effects on CP nor behavioural performance of either task.

Outcomes Measured

  • Requires manual extraction

Population

Field Value
Population See abstract
Sample Size See abstract
Age Range See abstract
Condition See abstract

MeSH Terms

  • Adult
  • Cognition
  • Cross-Over Studies
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Evoked Potentials, Visual
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Panax
  • Plant Extracts

Evidence Classification

  • Level: Rct
  • Publication Types: Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Vertical: ginseng-energy

Provenance

Source extracted via PubMed E-utilities API on 2026-04-09