Voluntary physical activity and pharmacological treatment with the Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 alleviate regional alterations in cerebral synaptic density and improve behavioral recovery after unilateral labyrinthectomy in the rat

Unilateral peripheral vestibular loss induces adaptive mechanisms of cerebral plasticity. The quantified Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 ® has been shown to enhance neural plasticity, and is used in the treatment of vertigo and dizziness....

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No actionable change for clinical practice — results are from a rat model only; evidence for Ginkgo biloba EGb 761 in human vestibular compensation remains limited and inconclusive in current literature.

Vestibular rehabilitation and pharmacological adjuncts are active areas of inquiry, and this animal study adds mechanistic evidence for synaptic plasticity as a pathway in vestibular compensation, potentially informing future human trials.

1. 01Voluntary physical activity and Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761 both improved behavioral recovery in rats after removal of one inner ear (unilateral labyrinthectomy).
2. 02Both treatments attenuated regional changes in brain synaptic density following the procedure.
3. 03Study is animal-only (rat model); results cannot be directly applied to human patients.
4. 04Ginkgo biloba EGb 761 is already used clinically for dizziness in some countries but evidence remains debated.
5. 05Published in Frontiers in Neurology (2026).

PMID

42996492

DOI

10.3389/fneur.2026.1937612.

Journal

Frontiers in Neurology

Publication type

research_article

Evidence level

na

Population

Rats (animal model) following unilateral labyrinthectomy

Intervention

Voluntary physical activity and/or Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761

Comparator

Untreated labyrinthectomized rats