Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredient in cannabis, has been shown to reverse conventional signs of brain aging in mice – a discovery that could have a major impact on how to stave off age-related cognitive decline.
The study, which could lead to therapies that might help keep our brains healthier and sharper for longer as we get older, may even have implications for Alzheimer’s and other forms of senior dementia.
This study builds on what was already known about the endocannabinoid system and the cannabinoid receptor type-1 (CB1) in the brain and their links to the gradual cognitive decline that comes with age.
In this new study, the team from Germany and Israel was able to observe how the antiaging effects were taking place – through a signaling pathway involving the mTOR protein, which is associated with the healthy regulation of all cell health and metabolism.
“We have now been able to show that treatment with THC has a tissue-dependent and dual effect on mTOR signaling and the metabolome,” says molecular biologist Andras Bilkei-Gorzo from the University of Bonn in Germany.
The metabolome is a collection of small-molecule metabolites found within a cell that are responsible for the reactions that are necessary for the cell’s growth, maintenance, and normal function.
Some of the same researchers had previously found that low doses of cannabis could improve memory and learning capabilities in aging mice, suggesting that there might be a relationship between THC and cognition worth exploring.
In this study, two groups of mice were used: young mice around four months old and an older group around 18 months old. Some mice in each age group received a daily low dose of THC across a period of 28 days, and the effects were compared to age-matched controls.
The mice treated with THC showed a boost in mTOR activity in the brain and the production of more of the proteins necessary to form new synapses between neurons – which helps with almost every aspect of brain function.
What’s more, mTOR activity in fat tissue dropped in the same way that it does with a calorie-controlled diet: In other words, the body starts to dial down some of its production processes in ways that have previously been shown to slow down biological aging, too.
“We concluded that long-term THC treatment initially has a cognition-enhancing effect by increasing energy and synaptic protein production in the brain, followed by an antiaging effect by decreasing mTOR activity and metabolic processes in the periphery,” says Bilkei-Gorzo.
These are potentially very interesting findings for protecting brain health in old age. We know from previous studies that THC might be able to play a role in delaying the onset of dementia, and the drug clearly affects the brain in some pretty fundamental ways.
“Our study suggests that a dual effect on mTOR activity and the metabolome could be the basis for an effective antiaging and cognition-enhancing drug,” says Bilkei-Gorzo.
You can read the entire study, which was published in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, by clicking on the link.
