Ageing process can now be reversed by cannabis

Scientists from University of Bonn and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem showed that cannabis is able to reverse ageing processes in brain.

The experiment was conducted on mice. The old mice successfully went back to the two-month-old state by means of an extended low-dose treatment with an active ingredient of cannabis. The positive results offered new hope for various diseases like dementia.

Their study presented in the journal Nature Medicine showed that what other researchers have tried to find for a long time like cures for ageing processes, these scientists have achieved that successfully in mice.

The scientists gave a small amount of the active ingredient of THC for four weeks to mice aged two, 12 and 18 months. Later, the memory performance and learning capacity of the animals were tested. The end result showed that the cognitive functions of the mice were just like the two-month-old mice, according to Science Daily.

Professor Andreas Zimmer from the University of Bonn exclaimed, “The treatment completely reversed the loss of performance in the old animals.”

The researchers observed the brain tissue and gene activity of the mice treated with cannabis in order to know the THC effect. They found out that the molecular structure resembled to the younger mice and didn’t match to that or older ones. THC also increased the number of links made between the nerve cells in the brain, which is a vital requirement for ability to learn. Zimmer expressed, “It looked as though the THC treatment turned back the molecular clock.”

For the next process, the scientists look forward to conduct clinical tests in order to examine if the THC does the same to human brains as it did to mice. Though there are evident differences between mice and humans, there are also some vital similarities that makes it possible for this study to be applicable to humans, reported Inverse.

 “The promotion of knowledge-led research is indispensable, as it is the breeding ground for all matters relating to application. Although there is a long path from mice to humans, I feel extremely positive about the prospect that THC could be used to treat dementia, for instance,” said Svenja Schulze, the science minster of North Rhine-Westphalia.