A hypothesis that free radicals may initiate and maintain mechanisms responsible for neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease has

prompted the
investigation of drugs such as vitamin E (e.g. α-tocopherol), ginkgo biloba, idebenone, and selegiline for antoxidant therapy but their value remains to
be confirmed.10,15,20,27-29 Although some US guidelines17 suggested consideration of vitamin E supplementation in an attempt to slow progression of
the disease, more recent ones3 no longer recommend it for the treatment of cognitive symptoms because of limited evidence of efficacy as well as
safety concerns. Selegiline has produced mixed results in a large number of controlled studies and US guidelines 3 note that few clinicians actually use
the drug in clinical practice. A systematic review30 has found no convincing evidence that ginkgo biloba is effecti
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