( CNN ) -- Blanche Danick may be 86 years old , but she 's pretty hip . She keeps up with all the latest health news , and a while back , she called her daughter wanting to know whether she should start taking the herb ginkgo biloba . She 'd heard it might stave off Alzheimer 's disease . `` I told her not to bother , that it would n't make much of a difference , '' says her daughter , Edythe London , a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of California , Los Angeles . `` On the basis of what I 've read , I do n't think it staves off dementia . '' London 's advice makes a lot of sense , according to a study out this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association . Ginkgo is a top-selling herb and has been hailed by some as a memory-booster , but the new University of Pittsburgh study found it did n't help prevent Alzheimer 's or other forms of dementia in more than 3,000 elderly study subjects . Ginkgo manufacturers say this is n't the first -- or the last -- word on the herb . `` There is a significant body of scientific and clinical evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of ginkgo extract for both cognitive function and improved circulation , '' said Mark Blumenthal , executive director of the American Botanical Council . London 's still skeptical . `` But I do tell my mother there are other things she can do , '' says London , who 's studied the brain and aging . `` I tell her to go out and do things and see people every day and be active . '' Studies have shown that physical exercise , the kind that keeps the heart healthy , also keeps the brain healthy , according to the National Institutes of Health 's Cognitive and Emotional Health Project . People are like rats , London says . `` If you put a rat in a cage by itself , it wo n't do well on cognitive tests . But if you give it toys and put other rats in its cage , they 're going to be smarter rats . '' In addition to playing with toys and hanging out with your fellow rats , here are five other tips for keeping your memory sharp . London says they help work on memory centers of the brain , including the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus , identified in the diagram above . 1 . Antioxidants . London makes sure her mother takes vitamins A , C , and E. They 're antioxidants , which prevent cell damage and are believed by some to slow down diseases of aging . `` There are studies that suggest antioxidants might prevent dementia , '' she says . 2 . Fish oil supplements . Dr. Gary Small , director of the UCLA Center on Aging , says aging brains show signs of inflammation , and fish oil has anti-inflammatory properties . 3 . Phosphatidylserine supplements . Phosphatidylserine is a lipid found naturally in the body . Small says he 's not 100 percent convinced these supplements will help stave off dementia , but they 're worth a try . `` If I start having memory problems when I get older , I 'll give them a trial run and see if they help , '' says Small , author of the new book `` iBrain : Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind . '' 4 . Curry . Small , who 's 57 , says that as he gets older , he might also try eating more foods with curry in them . `` Some studies in Singapore show that those who ate curry once a week had better memory scores , '' he said . 5 . Cross-training your brain . `` Our brains can be made stronger through exercise , '' says Andrew Carle , assistant professor of in the department of health administration and policy at George Mason University . `` In the same way physical exercise can delay many of the effects of aging on the body , there 's some evidence cognitive exercise can at least delay the onset of Alzheimer 's . '' But Carle says it 's not enough to do just one kind of brain exercise . `` Doing a crossword puzzle every day is good , but it 's the equivalent of doing only pushups -- your arms will get strong , but not the rest of your body . '' He recommends doing other activities in addition , such as computing numbers in your head instead of using a calculator , or using one of the `` brain gym '' computer games designed to enhance brain function . As for London , who 's 60 , she thinks her best bet at staving off dementia does n't come in a bottle , or on a dinner plate , or in a computer game . `` I 'm going to keep working on my research , and surround myself with young people , and do a lot of exercise , '' she says . `` I 'm going to be a happy old lady . That in and of itself is going to do a lot of good for my brain . '' CNN media coordinator Ashauntae Porras contributed to this report .
A new study found ginkgo biloba may not help prevent dementia , Alzheimer 's . People can take steps to keep their memory sharp . Score: 6