Marijuana is gaining acceptance as medicine in the U.S., with well-documented uses for glaucoma, epilepsy, cancer, and multiple sclerosis. Now, researchers are uncovering a potential benefit for age-related cognitive decline: marijuana could prevent and potentially reverse age-related brain damage. Researchers from the University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that marijuana has an intriguing effect on the brains of mice.
As mice age, they experience age-related cognitive decline similar to humans: they struggle to learn new things, have poor memories, have problems with orientation, and struggle to recognize other mice. However, when aging mice were given a low dose of THC (an active compound in marijuana), their brain health was rejuvenated. In fact, two-year-old mice given THC were just as mentally sharp as two-month-old mice. Mice of the same age who received a placebo experienced cognitive decline, similar to dementia in humans.
“The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals,” said study researcher Andreas Zimmer from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn.
Researchers then looked at how THC impacted brain tissue and genes. The number of links between the nerve cells in the mice’s brains increased, and the genes resembled those of younger mice. “It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock,” said Zimmer.
This study opens up the possibility that marijuana’s positive impact on brain aging could be true for humans as well. Preclinical studies have shown that small doses of THC slow the progression of beta-amyloid proteins in human brain cells. Beta-amyloid proteins are thought to be a contributing factor in Alzheimer’s disease, thus providing encouraging evidence.
Weighing your brain health options
For those who do not like the idea of smoking marijuana for a better functioning brain, there are safer ways to receive the benefits of THC. If you live in a state where marijuana is legal medically or recreationally, a local dispensary can provide different options. The benefits of THC for brain health seem to come from very small doses, so there is no need to get high or spend significant money to improve brain health. In the study, researchers gave mice such small doses that they do not believe the mice experienced any sort of high.
For those not interested in any kind of marijuana product, there are many other healthy practices that can prevent or reverse brain aging, such as drinking coffee or tea, exercising, eating blueberries daily, and spending time relaxing in a sauna. The significant point is to take some preventative action to keep your brain healthy and young.
