It is well known as with age our brain performance decreases gradually and, sooner or later, we will always be facing with some cognitive and physical problems that in simple terms can be summarised with a single term: old age.

However, a critical study conducted by a group of scientists from the University of Bonn in collaboration with colleagues from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem seems to show that cannabis can reverse or slow down these processes of brain ageing to which we have now resigned. Is that true?  Let’s learn more about this innovative study and its results.

It is believed that the brain, like any other organ, is subjected to ageing, and this can apply both to humans and animals.  Think for example of how much more difficult can be to learn new things or to pay attention to many things at the same time as the age passes; indeed, this is a decidedly normal process, but in many cases, it can get worse and lead to dementia.

This study seeks to understand how to slow down or even reverse the extreme degenerative process that afflicts many more or less elderly citizens every year.  In particular, the study involved the mice and showed that the old animals, on which the experiment was conducted, regressed (let’s say rejuvenated, that sounds better) to the brain state of two months of the mouse thanks to a prolonged treatment at low doses with an active ingredient of cannabis.

These animals used in many scientific and pharmacological tests have a relatively short life expectancy in nature and show pronounced cognitive deficits starting at 10 – 12 months of age.  The researchers administered a small amount of THC (the cannabis psychoactive cannabinoid found in the inflorescences of hemp plants) for a period of four weeks to the selected animals of 2, 12 and 18 months.

A comparison between the learning ability and the memory performance of these animals before and after the test gave an extraordinary result. Mice that were given only a placebo showed natural age-related degeneration and memory loss, while the cognitive functions of older animals treated with cannabis were comparable to those of animals of the age of two months; therefore, relatively cognitively young.

Thus, it seems that this treatment has completely reversed the loss of performance in elderly animals. According to scientists, in fact, with increasing age, the amount of endocannabinoids present in the brains of guinea pigs (just like in humans) is reduced, and therefore the decrease of the activities of the entire endocannabinoid system actively contributes to the degeneration of brain function.

Next step: human experimentation

After this crucial first result, the study in question will inevitably have to evolve into a human-type experiment, which, now that cannabis is legal in many states, both as a drug and as a recreational medium, will not be difficult at all.

However, there is a very long way to go from studies on animal guinea pigs to human subjects. The two species are extremely different, and the results are not necessarily guaranteed, but there are all the conditions for the conclusion that THC and cannabis, in general, can be used to limit the degeneration of cognitive abilities to become the most effective antiaging remedy available!